COVER STORY: Bobi Wine’s win

It was an awkward moment for the biggest names on Uganda’s political scene; President Museveni and his perennial challenger, Besigye.

Both are astute politicians and knew that they were backing losing candidates. But they went through the motion. Besigye, in fact faced double jeopardy as Bobi Wine is his political protégé who often dines in Besigye’s home in the constituency. At the height of the 2016 presidential elections, when wooing the youth vote through music was thought to count; Bobi stood by Besigye and refused to joined that all-music-stars song  `Tubonga Nawe’ in support of Museveni.

That is when The Independent magazine became the first mainstream newspaper to put Bobi Wine on its cover under the title ‘Ghetto President Bobi Wine and why the poor hate Museveni’. In that story, Bobi Wine made a comment which has since become a quotable quote.

Bobi Wine said: “When our leaders have become misleaders and mentors have become tormentors. When freedom of expression is met with suppression and oppression, then opposition becomes our position”.

So Besigye was torn between backing his protégé and backing Kantinti. In the end, he stumped for Kantintu and shared the dust of defeat with him. Besigye explained to his supporters that although Bobi Wine was his friend, fairness and justice demanded that he supports Kantinti.

“I have spent the better part of my life fighting for justice,” he said, “It is because of Justice that I support Apollo Kantinti.”

Even the Democratic Party (DP) also suffered a double loss in the election because Bobi Wine is a natural born-DP. His father was a DP stalwart in the 1960s. So Bobi’s rejection of the DP was, in a way, an indictment of the current DP leadership.

Bobi Wine appeared conscious of this as he campaigned.

“I am here as an independent candidate,” he told his supporters at his rallies, “not because I don’t respect our political parties or political leaders but because what is most important to me is to be the voice of an ordinary person.”

Bobi wine could have won the election on any party ticket, apart from possibly the NRM. But the FDC flag was not available although the possibility was, according to sources, mooted.

On the day court ordered a byelection, disagreements broke out in Besigye’s FDC on who to support.  Some decided stick with Kantinti, the party’s official flagbearer. They said Bobi Wine wasn’t even a card-holding member of the party. But others immediately switched to supporting Bobi; the more popular candidate.

“Just because one was flagbearer last time doesn’t mean he should automatically be a flagbearer now,” said one member on the party Whatsapp group as the debate heated up “The Kantinti-Bobi issue should be handled with a lot of care.”

Wakida told The Independent that he had told the party leadership to revisit that issue and give the flag to the more popular candidate.

“Bobi Wine was already self-made unlike Kantinti who was riding only on FDC,” he said, “I told the party leadership that it would be best to rally behind the strong candidate.”

But Walid Lubega said the party could not conduct a fresh election for flag bearer because there was already a duly elected flag bearer.

The party even tried to reach out to Bobi Wine to quit in favour of Kantinti but he had stood his ground. To add to their headache, another party member; Nkunyingi Muwada who had insisted on standing in 2016 saying that the party primaries were not free and fair was determined to stand again.

“We called all the three candidates including Mr. Muwadda to harmonise the position before nominations but it wasn’t possible,” said Lubega.