NRM aspirant demands explanation over disqualification

Oct 11, 2015

Mathias Mulumba Ssuna argues that the party EC relied on unverified information to disqualify him from the race.


By Ramadhan Abbey

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) workers league boss Mathias Mulumba Ssuna, has demanded to meet the party electoral commission (EC) chairman Dr. Tanga Odoi over his disqualification from the party primaries.

Mulumba argues that the party EC relied on unverified information to disqualify him from the race. He is also the secretary general of Center Organization for Free Trade Unions (COFTU).

Last week, Odoi issued a letter to seven NRM aspirants – including Mulumba – barring them from participating in the NRM primaries.

A letter written by chairperson NRM workers league-central region, Ezra Kanyana, to the advisory team of NRM dated September 4, 2015, states that Mulumba has never been and is not a member of any registered union in Uganda.

Mulumba maintains that he is a member of the Uganda Civil Society Workers Union.

But the party EC differs: the union does not have any records to show that Mulumba is a paid-up member of the union.

Additonally, the letter alleges that Mulumba forged the required nomination signatures and included those of other political parties that do not share the same ideology as NRM’s.

He is also reported to be an ally of presidential hopeful and former party secretary general Amama Mbabazi.

But speaking during a press conference at the National Theater on Friday, Mulumba wondered how the party EC could rely on rumours.

'It seems that the (NRM) EC is not considering one of the principles of the party which is democracy. Everybody has the right to participate and contest in any position. It seems the EC is working against the party constitution by denying us the opportunity.”

The aggrieved aspirant added the NRM EC cannot disqualify him because the Constitutional Court has already pronounced itself in a ruling delivered two weeks ago.
 

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