President Yoweri Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer, has officially returned his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission (EC) ahead of the 2026 general elections.
The forms were delivered by NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong, accompanied by other senior party leaders. This development comes just a day after Museveni’s closest rival, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu popularly known as Bobi Wine submitted his own nomination forms.
The nomination of presidential candidates is scheduled for September 23 and 24, 2025.
Daily Star learned that more than two million signatures endorsing Museveni’s candidacy were submitted to the EC.
“This was in fulfilment of one of the legal requirements for nominating President Yoweri Museveni as the party flag bearer for the upcoming presidential elections,” said Todwong.
He expressed confidence that the overwhelming number of signatures reflects strong nationwide support for the NRM and will translate into landslide victories for both President Museveni and other party candidates.
Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, is seeking a seventh term in office. His nomination forms were initially collected by Todwong and the party’s First National Vice Chairman, Moses Kigongo.
“His candidacy is not a personal ambition but a party decision. He was nominated unopposed within the party. Anyone claiming otherwise—honestly, I don’t know who they are,” Todwong remarked. “The party unanimously endorsed him, based on all the resolutions I’ve received.”
Museveni and Bobi Wine are among more than 160 presidential aspirants who have picked up nomination forms. Several political parties, including the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), have also expressed their intention to field candidates in what is shaping up to be a high-stakes general election.
With the 2026 polls approaching, the anticipated rematch between Museveni and Bobi Wine is expected to dominate political discourse, reigniting national debates on leadership, democracy, and Uganda’s future.
In the last presidential election held on January 14, 2021, Ugandans exercised their constitutional right to elect a president for a five-year term. Of the 18,103,603 registered voters across 34,684 polling stations, 10,350,819 cast their votes—representing a turnout of 57.2%.
That election featured 11 candidates, with Museveni securing 6,042,898 votes (58.38%) and Bobi Wine coming second with 3,631,437 votes (35.08%).
Museveni’s victory extended his rule beyond four decades, solidifying his position as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
