“The military has jumped over the fence and has now taken control of our home,” he said in a tweet on Friday, adding in another that “None of these military intruders is talking to us. We are in serious trouble. We are under siege.”
Earlier journalists traveling to Wine’s residence for a press conference were turned back by security forces well before reaching his home. Many reporters were also forced to leave the national election tally center, despite having accreditation.
The challenge now is for the country’s electoral commission to “declare the will of the people,” the hugely popular singer-turned politician wrote on Twitter as the votes are being counted.
Museveni said in a CNN interview aired on Tuesday that he would “accept the results” if he lost.
“Uganda is not my house… if the people of Uganda don’t want me to help them with their issues, I go and deal with my personal issues very happily,” he told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
Before casting his ballot on Thursday, Wine addressed the media and complained that the majority of his polling agents across the country have been prevented from observing the election by police.
Ugandan law guarantees that every candidate is allowed representation at polling locations.
Many polling stations were forced to use manual voting and checks after the biometric machines failed to register ballots because of the internet shutdown ordered by the government.
There were also reports of late delivery of voting material and insufficient material at numerous polling locations.
On Tuesday, two days ahead of the polls, internet service providers were ordered to block access to social media platforms. In an address to the nation on the same day, Museveni confirmed that Facebook and other social media were blocked, accusing them of “arrogance.”
Uganda’s Electoral Commission has said it will declare the winner within 48 hours after polls closed at 4 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET).
