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Uganda opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine arrested - party

KAMPALA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Ugandan opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine was arrested on Tuesday after handing in his nomination papers to the election body, his party's spokesman said.
Reuters
A file photo shows Ugandan pop star-turned-member of parliament Bobi Wine during a meeting with a prominent Kenayn political activist Boniface Mwangi in Nairobi, Kenya, 12 October 2018 (reissued 06 January 2020). Ugandan media reported Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was arrested in Kampala on 06 January as he tried to leave the city to have a meeting outside of the capital. Bobi Wine has announced he will run against the long-serving President Yoweri Museveni in the 2020 elections. EPA-EFE/DAI KUROKAWA EPA-EFE/DAI KUROKAWA

"They (police) used a hammer and broke the windows of his vehicle and forcefully dragged him out ... they bundled him into their own vehicle and took off," Joel Senyonyi, spokesman for the NUP party, said, adding he did not know why Wine was arrested.

Police spokesman Luke Owoyesigire said he had yet to receive a briefing on the arrest and promised to comment later.

Wine, 38, a musician turned politician whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, aims to end Yoweri Museveni's 34 years in power, making him Africa's third longest-ruling president. Elections are scheduled for February next year.

Wine's youthful age and his music have earned him a large following in the relatively young country of 42 million, rattling the ruling National Resistance Movement party and drawing a security crackdown on his supporters.

Since Wine expressed his presidential ambition, police and the military have repeatedly dispersed his rallies, and beaten and detained his supporters.

Museveni was cleared to run in the elections on Monday. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Alison Williams and Giles Elgood)

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