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Minister Nabakooba asks court to nullify Bagala’s victory as Mityana Woman MP
A photo montage of Mityana District Woman MP-elect and her predecessor, ICT minister Ms Judith Nabakooba. PHOTOS/ FILE/ COURTESY
What you need to know:
Mityana District Returning officer, Mr Stephen Makubuya on January 15 declared Ms Bagala of the National Unity Platform (NUP) winner of the hotly contested race after she got 64,305 votes. The other candidate in the race, Ms Brenda Nabaliisa, garnered 1,509 votes.
The Minister of ICT and national guidance, Ms Judith Nabakooba has petitioned Mubende High Court seeking to overturn the victory of Mityana District Woman MP-elect Joyce Bagala.
In her petition, Ms Nabakooba who came second in the January 14 elections after getting 48,078 votes accuses the Electoral Commission (EC) and Ms Bagala (respondents) of conspiring to steal her victory.
Mityana District Returning officer, Mr Stephen Makubuya on January 15 declared Ms Bagala of the National Unity Platform (NUP) winner of the hotly contested race after she got 64,305 votes. The other candidate in the race, Ms Brenda Nabaliisa, garnered 1,509 votes.
However, in the petition received by Mr Godfrey Kaweesa, the Mubende High Court registrar on March 15, 2021, Ms Nabakooba alleges that the electoral commission officials failed to do their job thereby denying her victory.
The minister alleges that several presiding officers connived with Ms Bagala’s agents to alter Declaration Results forms to deny her victory.
She also accuses Ms Bagala of bribing voters and using security operatives to intimidate her voters.
According to the minister who was elected Mityana woman MP in 2016 on the ticket of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Ms Bagala was seen on the Election Day (January 14, 2021) bribing voters with money.
She wants court to nullify Ms Bagala’s victory and also order for a fresh election.
When contacted about the petition, Ms Bagala said she was served on Wednesday (March 17, 2021) and that she was confident she will win the case.
“Ms Nabakooba went to Mubende High Court challenging my victory. I was served on Wednesday and have already consulted my lawyers. I’m confident that I will win the case although it’s a wastage of time on her part. I also appeal to my supporters to keep calm,” Ms Bagala told this reporter on Saturday.
Ms Bagala observed that Ms Nabakooba listed the Electoral Commission as the first respondent and herself as the second respondent accusing her of conniving with the poll officials and security operatives to snatch her victory.
"I wonder and sounds weird that I connived with security operatives to rig votes. A person who is a minister, a former police spokesperson who has powers to order police what she wants to allege that I connived with security operatives! It makes everybody laugh at her but we're ready to challenge her allegations,"Ms Bagala added.
