BREAKING!! NUP Rejects Video of Bukedea Woman MP Candidate Denying Abduction Claims

The National Unity Platform (NUP) has rejected a circulating video showing Asio Florence, the party’s candidate for the Bukedea District Woman Parliamentary seat, in which she claims she was not kidnapped but withdrew from the race voluntarily.

Reports of Asio’s alleged abduction spread last Wednesday after NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) announced that she and her campaign team had gone missing while traveling from Soroti to Bukedea for nomination.

> “Our candidate for Bukedea Woman MP, Asio Florence, cannot be reached. Her phone and those of her colleagues are all switched off. We are coordinating with their families who are desperately searching for them,” Kyagulanyi stated.

Following Asio’s disappearance, the Electoral Commission (EC) went ahead to declare Speaker Anita Among unopposed, a move that sparked widespread concern about political intimidation ahead of the 2026 general elections.

However, over the weekend, a video surfaced online showing Asio denying the kidnap claims. In the video, she said she quit the race on her own accord due to family pressure, clarifying that she was not abducted by anyone, including the Speaker of Parliament.

> “As the Speaker’s daughter, my decision to run for MP came as a shock to my family. They asked me to withdraw, and I eventually gave in to that pressure. I was never kidnapped,” Asio said in the clip.

Despite her statement, NUP leadership has dismissed the video as unreliable and possibly coerced, saying Asio’s whereabouts remain unclear and her phones are still off.

NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said the party remains deeply concerned about her safety, citing previous incidents where party supporters were allegedly forced to record statements under duress.

> “We cannot conclude anything until we confirm where she is. We’ve seen this before — like when Eric Mwesigwa was abducted, tortured, and later paraded by the army to make forced statements. Some of our supporters have been jailed for years and made to speak only to secure their freedom,” Rubongoya said.

He added that once Asio regains her freedom, she will be able to reveal the truth about what transpired. Rubongoya also highlighted that several NUP candidates were denied nominations in other districts under unclear circumstances.

Meanwhile, Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Kituuma Rusoke said the police cannot open an abduction case since Asio publicly denied being kidnapped. He advised any party dissatisfied with the nomination process to petition the Electoral Commission or report formally to the police.

Before the nominations, three other women — Mercy Alupo (NUP), Susan Norma Otai (FDC), and Hellen Akol Odeke (Independent) — were struck off the voters’ register by parish tribunals under controversial conditions. Their removal had initially left Speaker Among unchallenged before NUP introduced Asio as its new flag bearer