Court petitioned to block CP delegates' conference
Aug 13, 2012
The anti-Ken Lukyamuzi faction of the Conservative Party (CP) has petitioned court to temporarily block the delegates conference scheduled for August 18, on grounds that there are pending court cases whose verdict is crucial to the party's future.
By Andante Okanya
The anti-Ken Lukyamuzi faction of the Conservative Party (CP) has petitioned court to temporarily block the delegates conference scheduled for August 18, on grounds that there are pending court cases whose verdict is crucial to the party's future.
The petition was filed on Monday at the High Court in Kampala by five people led by Daniel Walyemera. The others are Ali Mubiru,Fredrick Guweddeko,Wasibi Magira, and Fredrick Lubowa.It was filed through Wameli and Com[any Advocates.
Their move was prompted by an advert placed in the weekly newspaper Sunrise dated August 3-9,2012, informing party members of the delegates conference. It stated that attendance is strictly by invite, and that the venue would be disclosed in the invitation letters.
The petition is supported by the affidavit of Lubowa, who contends that the contents of the advert depicts a sinister ploy by the Lukyamuzi faction to lock out dissenting voices.
"The Applicants shall aver that the illegal acts of Honourable Ken Lukyamuzi and Charles Jjingo, of locking the applicants out of the national delegates conference constitutes an abuse of court process,"Lubowa contends.
Additionally, he states that the Lukyamuzi faction obtained a court order maintaining their stay in office (status quo) till August 21, when it expires. It is also on this day that court is expected to start hearing a case filed by Lukyamuzi against the Walyemera faction. The presiding judge is Vincent Zehurikize.
Lubowa asserts that the scheduled delegate’s conference is meant to render their court case useless, since it would mean that the case cannot stand, as it would have been overtaken by events.
There is also another pending case filed by the anti-Lukyamuzi faction, querying Lukyamuzi's actions and purported mismanagement of the party.
From the onset, Justice Zehurikize has pushed the parties to reconcile, noting that under the current multi-party political dispensation, it is important tolerate divergent views.