Ugandan police on Saturday rejected allegations by the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) that its leader, Bobi Wine, had been arrested by soldiers, as President Yoweri Museveni moved toward a decisive re-election victory.

The NUP claimed late Friday that an army helicopter landed at Wine’s residence in Kampala and that soldiers “forcibly took him away to an unknown destination.” Reuters said it could not independently verify the claim.

Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke told a televised news conference that Wine was at his home and free to move. “He is not under arrest,” Rusoke said. Attempts to reach Wine and NUP representatives for comment were unsuccessful.

Wine has alleged widespread fraud in Thursday’s election, which was conducted under an internet blackout, and has called on his supporters to protest. His party said earlier that he had effectively been placed under house arrest.

The election has been widely viewed as a key test of Museveni’s political dominance and his ability to prevent the type of unrest seen recently in neighboring Tanzania and Kenya.

Museveni Heads Toward Another Term

Preliminary results released by Uganda’s electoral commission showed Museveni, in power since 1986, leading with nearly 72% of the vote. Wine trailed with about 24%, with more than 90% of polling stations counted.

Although voting on Thursday proceeded largely peacefully, the campaign period was marked by clashes at opposition rallies and what the United Nations described as widespread repression and intimidation.

Violence was reported in the early hours of Friday in Butambala, roughly 55 kilometers southwest of Kampala. Police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said machete-wielding opposition supporters, allegedly organized by local lawmaker Muwanga Kivumbi, attacked a police station and a vote-tallying center. Local officials offered differing accounts of the incident.