KAMPALA, Uganda – The People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), a political party associated with veteran opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye, says it will not field a presidential candidate in Uganda’s 2026 general election.
The announcement follows the abduction of Besigye, who chairs the party’s Council of Eminent Persons, and his aide Obeid Lutale from Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2024.
The two were deported to Kampala, where they face charges of illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and treachery.
Move to Back a United Opposition
PFF Secretary General Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda told reporters Monday that the party’s decision was aimed at supporting a unified opposition challenge against President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled for nearly four decades under the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
“The party has made this decision in the broader interest of building a single stronger freedom-seeking force that should steer the country throughout this turbulent political period,” Ssemujju said, warning that abductions and disappearances of opposition figures were turning the 2026 race into a “militarised campaign.”
PFF has already signed a cooperation agreement with the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), led by Maj Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu, and is holding talks with the National Unity Platform (NUP) of Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine.
The ANT-PFF agreement, signed in July, warned that the coming election “is designed by Museveni and his family to be the worst in our history.”
Besigye Absent From Ballot Again
Dr. Besigye, who has run for president four times, will miss the ballot for a second consecutive time, having also sat out the 2021 election.
He and Lutale remain in remand at Luzira Prison on treason-related charges.
Electoral Commission Dispute
While PFF accuses the Electoral Commission (EC) of being compromised by military influence, EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi dismissed the allegations as “baseless,” insisting the body has constitutional powers to adjust the electoral roadmap when necessary.
Meanwhile, both Bobi Wine and Gen Muntu have picked presidential nomination forms.
NUP submitted its signatures for verification last week, while ANT’s submission was rejected over insufficient signatures.
President Museveni has confirmed he will seek another term in the January 2026 polls.
