FUFA elections in balance as fans seek injunction

Jul 26, 2017

The presidential elections have been scheduled for August 5 in Masindi district.

PIC: As it stands, incumbent Moses Magogo is the sole candidate for the August 5th polls. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

FOOTBALL | FUFA

KAMPALA - Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) presidential elections hang in balance after a group of fans petitioned court seeking an interim order halting the elections pending the determination of their main case.

On Tuesday, Edwin Bazanye, Paul Mugamba and Solomon Bbiira asked the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala to temporarily halt the forthcoming FUFA presidential elections in which Moses Magogo is contesting as a sole candidate on grounds that their main case would be rendered nugatory.

The Court was presided over by High Court Judge Henrietta Wolayo.

"We shall be more inconvenienced if our application is not allowed since the respondents are intending to manipulate the elections and fail other would be contestants," Bazanye stated in court.

The FUFA presidential elections have been scheduled for August 5 in Masindi district.

However, if the trio's application is allowed by court, the elections would have to be postponed until the trio's main case is disposed of.

The three through their lawyers from Nsamba & Company Advocates told court that it is just and equitable that Court halts the elections to preserve the status quo as they stand to suffer irreparable damages if the FUFA administration is not restrained from organizing and conducting the elections before determining their main case.

However, FUFA lawyer Ambrose Tebyasa asked court to dismiss the application, saying that it was filed in bad faith to disorganise the FUFA programmes.

"FUFA has incurred a lot of expenses in organising these elections and an attempt to block them would highly be prejudicial and most inconveniencing to FUFA," Tebyasa submitted.

Tebyasa further submitted that none of the complainants is likely to suffer damages as they claim if the elections take place because they never showed interest in the elections.

ujib asule was disqualified from the presidential race for failure to meet requirements hoto by palanyi sentongoMujib Kasule was disqualified from the presidential race for failure to meet requirements. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)

 

But after the judge heard submissions from both sides, she said she would give her ruling on Thursday.

FUFA Chief Executive Officer Edgar Watson was also in court to observe the proceedings.

The petitioners contend that FUFA administration irregularly and unlawfully conducted elections for and by its Article 1 of the FUFA Constitution by which it is a private limited company by guarantee with an objective of depriving public and National Council of Sports (NCS) from exercising their constitutional right and privileges.

They therefore want court to order for fresh nominations of the FUFA presidential aspirants under the normal procedure.

They dragged the Attorney General, National Council of Sports, Edgar Watson, Moses Magogo, Samuel Bakiika, the FUFA EC boss and Yusuf Awuye, the FUFA EC secretary general.

They claim that FUFA constitution does not provide for a FUFA electoral commission committee.

They also blame the Ministry of Education and Sports for failure in their mandate to formulate, regulate and prevail over the NCS and its amateur sports national associations in conducting their general administration and elections.

The trio also avers that NCS has not only failed to exercise the principles envisaged in it and has unlawfully permitted FUFA and its incumbent executive to conduct by its own national federation presidential and grass root elections.

However, Watson told court that the trio are not members of FUFA but just fans of different football clubs and do not participate in internal elections of FUFA and their application should be dismissed.

He said that the FUFA general assembly approved the FUFA EC committee to organize the elections.

Recently, Mujib Kasule was disqualified by FUFA electoral committee from the race for failure to meet its requirements, leaving Magogo a sole candidate.

 

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