NIGERIA TV INFO — INTERNATIONAL / AFRICAN POLITICS

Ugandan Pop Star Bobi Wine Reports Assault While Campaigning Against Museveni

Kampala — Ugandan pop star and opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine has reported being beaten, tasered, and attacked with teargas and pepper spray while campaigning against long-serving President Yoweri Museveni.

Now 43, Wine, whose legal name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has been in politics for nearly a decade and says such violence on the campaign trail comes as no surprise. He has built his political identity on a strong opposition to what he calls Museveni’s “dictatorship.”

Although Wine is widely viewed as having little chance of defeating Museveni in Thursday’s election, he has mobilized millions of young Ugandans disenchanted with the current government. His rising popularity makes him Museveni’s most significant challenger in years, even as the 81-year-old president is reportedly planning for succession.

Observers say the attacks highlight the tense and often dangerous nature of Uganda’s electoral process, and international human rights groups have called for the protection of opposition candidates.