The National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has called on voters in Bugiri Municipality to replace incumbent Member of Parliament Asuman Basalirwa with NUP flagbearer Macelino Egesa Mangeni, accusing the current legislator of betraying the struggle.

Speaking during a campaign rally in Bugiri on Saturday evening, Mr Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, said Mr Basalirwa had failed to deliver on the promises that earned him widespread support from opposition forces in 2018.

“Our brother, the current MP, betrayed us. We believed he would deliver services to the people, but he has failed. We no longer understand his ways. It’s time to vote him out and bring in someone who will work for the people,” Mr Kyagulanyi told hundreds of supporters who gathered to welcome him.

Mr Kyagulanyi, then Kyadondo East MP, was instrumental in rallying opposition support behind Mr Basalirwa during the 2018 Bugiri Municipality by-election. At the time, the Justice Forum (JEEMA) candidate won the hotly contested race, defeating four other aspirants, including those sponsored by the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

However, relations between the two leaders have since soured, with NUP accusing Mr Basalirwa of siding with government positions on key national issues and drifting away from the broader opposition agenda.

Mr Kyagulanyi said Mr Mangeni, NUP’s parliamentary candidate for Bugiri Municipality, was better suited to address the community’s pressing needs, including unemployment, poor infrastructure, and health service gaps.

He urged residents to use the 2026 elections to “correct past mistakes” and elect leaders who are accountable to the people.

Mr Basalirwa has not yet responded publicly to the remarks. The Bugiri Municipality seat is expected to be one of the most closely watched contests in the 2026 general elections.