Minister may lose petition
May 12, 2011
THE High Court in Masaka district has been asked to dismiss a petition seeking to nullify the election of Florence Namayanja as the MP for Bukoto East, saying it was wrongly filed.
By Dismus Buregyeya
THE High Court in Masaka district has been asked to dismiss a petition seeking to nullify the election of Florence Namayanja as the MP for Bukoto East, saying it was wrongly filed.
Namayanja, the out-going deputy mayor for Kampala city, trounced Alintuma Nsambu (NRM), the ICT state minister, with 15,197 votes against 12,927.
Namayanja’s lawyer Medard Ssegona told court presided over by Justice Elizabeth Musoke on May 9, that the petition against her was defective.
“The petitioner Francis Mugula was a polling agent for Nsambu who is legally not authorised to file this case since his electoral business expired on February 19,†he said.
Ssegona added that Mugula should have petitioned court as a registered voter not as a polling agent.
“Under this court, the petitioner is like an imposter, it would have made sense if Nsambu had filed this petition. I pray to court to dismiss this case with costs,†he said.
The Electoral Commission lawyer, Lawrence Tumwesigye, said the signatures of the petitioner’s witnesses were presented in form of photocopies yet court requires them on original papers.
THE High Court in Masaka district has been asked to dismiss a petition seeking to nullify the election of Florence Namayanja as the MP for Bukoto East, saying it was wrongly filed.
Namayanja, the out-going deputy mayor for Kampala city, trounced Alintuma Nsambu (NRM), the ICT state minister, with 15,197 votes against 12,927.
Namayanja’s lawyer Medard Ssegona told court presided over by Justice Elizabeth Musoke on May 9, that the petition against her was defective.
“The petitioner Francis Mugula was a polling agent for Nsambu who is legally not authorised to file this case since his electoral business expired on February 19,†he said.
Ssegona added that Mugula should have petitioned court as a registered voter not as a polling agent.
“Under this court, the petitioner is like an imposter, it would have made sense if Nsambu had filed this petition. I pray to court to dismiss this case with costs,†he said.
The Electoral Commission lawyer, Lawrence Tumwesigye, said the signatures of the petitioner’s witnesses were presented in form of photocopies yet court requires them on original papers.