The Uganda government has restored internet services in the country on Saturday after President Yoweri Museveni secured his seventh term in office.

Residents said internet connections began returning around 11pm with service providers sending out messages to their customers informing them that the communications regulator had directed them to restore services.

Speaking on the reason why the internet was shutdown the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) said it was to prevent and control “misinformation, electoral fraud and disinformation.”

Meanwhile the opposition party condemned the move saying it was aimed to have control over the electoral process and ensuring victory for the long serving president.

The 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni, having ruled Uganda since 1986, and ranking as the third longest-serving president in Africa means he is set to remain in power for almost five decades by the time his latest term concludes in 2031.

Museveni is also widely believed to be grooming his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is head of the country’s military as a potential successor to take over him, as Muhoozi has openly declared his interest in the presidency.

Following the announcement of the results, opposition protest erupted late on Saturday. According to reports, in Magere, a northern suburb of Kampala and home to rival Bobi Wine, youths took to the streets, setting tires ablaze and blocking roads with makeshift barricades, prompting the police to disperse the crowd with tear gas.

Opposition leader Bobi Wine, who his challenging Museveni for the second time, rejected the outcome of the poll, alleging widespread electoral fraud, government officials have denied those allegations saying the election was “a fair election.”