The head of Uganda's electoral body says he has received threats warning him against declaring certain presidential candidates the winners of Thursday's election.

Simon Byabakama said he would not be intimidated by such threats from senior state officials, whom he did not name.

He was responding to a BBC question about a widely shared video which shows a presidential assistant saying the electoral commission would never declare opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, as president, even if he were to win.

Some people say if you don't declare so-and-so as president, you will see. I tell them that I am not in the business of donating votes, said Byabakama.

President Yoweri Museveni, 81, who has ruled the country for nearly four decades, is seeking a seventh term in office. Bobi Wine, a 43-year-old pop star turned politician, is Museveni's main challenger, seeking to unseat him for the second time after finishing runner-up in the 2021 polls.

Six other candidates are also in the race, in which about 21.6 million voters are registered to vote.

Campaigning has been marked by the disruption of opposition activities, including the detention of activists and the breaking-up of rallies by police.

At the Electoral Commission headquarters in the capital, Kampala, Byabakama said he was not worried about threats from what he called idle people. You can see from my demeanour that fear is a word that does not exist in my vocabulary, he stated.

In a video shared by the Daily Monitor, Yiga Kisakyamukama, a presidential assistant, claimed that Museveni would never leave power through the ballot. Byabakama countered this assertion, affirming that Uganda's law would guide the electoral outcome, not personal opinions or threats.

He plans to declare results within 48 hours of polling closure, adhering to the law. Acknowledging concerns regarding military presence at polling stations, he stated that security forces are deployed to maintain peace but emphasized that they should not intimidate voters.

Moreover, the government has cut internet access and limited mobile services to curb misinformation during the campaign period, raising fears of repression leading up to the election.

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