DP to petition court over LC1 elections

The Democratic Party (DP) has revealed plans to petition court over the just concluded LC1 elections. 

The party expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the elections where it claims some of its candidates who had won in Kampala Central "were unfairly cheated". 

These are Abel Mbogo who contested for Nakasero IV and Badru Ssenyange who contested for Salompas village in Nakivubo. 

The party accuses the Electoral Commission (EC) of acting outside its mandate by recalling the results after the two had already been declared winners by the electoral body. 

"We are going to challenge the Electoral Commission because once results are declared, they can only be overturned by court, otherwise people who lose parliamentary elections would be going to the Electoral Commission. I have never seen this lawlessness. That means Amama Mbabazi should have also gone to the Electoral Commission," said Norbert Mao, the DP president general.

"The moment election results are declared, the work of the Electoral Commission is finished and the rest is left to the courts. From that moment, for anyone who has a problem, the Electoral Commission should have advised them to go to court. The Electoral Commission can only stop the process before the voting process," Mao asserted. 

Mao made these remarks on Tuesday as he addressed journalists during the weekly press briefing at the party headquarters in Kampala. He added that the party's legal team is already on the ground working to ensure that these people "get justice". 

"We are going to fight this case up to the Supreme Court if necessary," Mao said. 

The party went ahead to accuse the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party of having a hand in the mess. 

"I want to give another interpretation; you know what President Museveni is trying to do in Kampala. All this is part of his agenda, he and his NRM party want to dominate Kampala by hook or crook," Mao said. 

"As DP we are going to fight using all means at our disposal and those LC1s will never preside over any meeting. We shall be there to remove the chairs if they dare to call a meeting because we are the majority in the village until they resign," he said. 

On the same issue, the party also revealed that its Members of Parliament are yet to table some amendments to the law that gives a provision to recall LC1 chairpersons. 

"Citizens cannot be forced to tolerate someone until the end of his term. We want citizens to have the power to sign and recall bogus LC1 chairpersons, afterall the Constitution allows Parliament to recall the President through impeachment. Those are goals that we are going to achieve," Mao stated.