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NUP to go to court over Kayunga LC5 by-election
Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, the party president, claimed their candidate, Ms Harriet Nakwedde (pictured) won the election.
What you need to know:
- Bobi Wine says NUP wants to expose partisan government institutions that are supposed to be impartial.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) party officials have said they are going to court to challenge the declaration of the National Resistance Movement party (NRM) candidate as winner of the Kayunga LC5 by-election race.
Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, the party president, claimed their candidate, Ms Harriet Nakwedde won the election.
“The Judiciary has another chance to either remain naked or stand with the people. We are not requesting them to deliver justice but we are reminding them to take the shame or remain adamant like the Electoral Commission (EC),” Bobi Wine told journalists at the party headquarters in Kamwokya, Kampala, yesterday.
Last Friday, the EC announced NRM’s Andrew Muwonge winner with 31,830 votes ahead of Ms Nakwedde who the EC said got 31,308 votes.
However, according to NUP, Ms Nakwedde got 34,740 votes, while NRM’s Andrew Muwonge got 20,367 votes.
The rest of the candidates, according to the NUP tally shared 2,523 votes.
The law gives EC the mandate to declare a winner in any election.
The NUP leadership have demanded a recount, claiming vote rigging , among other malpractices. Bobi Wine yesterday said they would go to court to expose alleged partisan activities of government institutions that are supposed to be impartial.
“I have heard many voices asking why we are going to court and why we are still participating in elections. [President] Museveni’s mission is to make us lose interest in elections but I can assure you that we are not going to cower out,” he said.
“We participate in elections and go to court not because we hope to be declared winners but it helps to open the eyes of most Ugandans,” the NUP president added.
Ms Nakwedde said: “EC can call us back and explain that their computers had developed technical problems and declare the right winner, otherwise the victory of the people was robbed. We ask the people of Kayunga District to join us as we demand their victory.”
The NUP leaders also accused the EC of refusing to give them the tally sheet that was used on polling day.
They said they had gone to the EC offices earlier in the morning to get it but had been sent away by some officials who indicated that EC offices had already closed for the Christmas break.
However, Mr Paul Bukenya, the EC spokesperson, yesterday said NUP leaders had gone to the wrong office, adding that when they returned in the afternoon, they were given the tally sheet.
“They had gone to the administration wing and yet they were meant to go to the political party desk. We have, however, given them everything they needed because this is a public document and I am surprised they said we have closed, our offices are still open,” Mr Bukenya said.
