EC not aware of court ruling on rebel MPs

By John Semakula

The Electoral Commission (EC) will go on with plans to organise the by-elections to replace ejected rebel MPs until after court has communicated to them.

EC spokesperson, Jotham Taremwa, told New Vision that they are still waiting for the Supreme Court ruling that gave the MPs expelled from NRM party another lifeline in Parliament.

 “Our plans to conduct by-elections are on-going because we have not been served by court ruling yet. If it’s true that court issued an interim order allowing the MPs to go back to Parliament, we shall not defy it. But we don’t want to work on speculations,” Taremwa said.

EC chairperson Eng. Badru Kigunddu had on Thursday announced April 17 as the date for conducting by-elections in the rebel MPs constituencies.

The MPs had been thrown out of Parliament by the Court of Appeal which had also ordered EC to organise by-elections to fill their seats.

But shortly after Kigunddu’s announcement, the Court issued an interim order allowing the MPs to return to Parliament until the main application is disposed of.   

While EC waits for the official communication from Court, the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga received it on Thursday immediately after the ruling and called back the four MPs to Parliament.

Trouble for the four rebel MPs started early last year when they were expelled from NRM for contravening the party rules.