MP Fred Mwesigye threatens to drag NRM party to court

POLITICS|NRM PRIMARIES|COURT

The Nyabushozi County Member of Parliament, Fred Mwesigye has threatened to sue the National Resistance Movement party (NRM) for nullifying the constituency's primary election results.

This was revealed in a letter to NRM Election Commission (EC) Chairman, Tanga Odoi copied to party chairman, President Yoweri Museveni.

"This letter serves to advise that under no circumstances should the NRM party be hoodwinked into revisiting the status of our client. Otherwise the party and the candidates will be exposed to unnecessary litigation and intervention of the courts and the heavy costs that come with it," the letter read in part.

On Monday (October 12, 2020), while addressing journalists at Plot 10 Kyadondo in Kampala, Odoi divulged how CEC had advised the party's EC to hold a re-election in the 84 villages of Nyabushozi County.

However, the embattled Bush war veteran has vowed to strongly protest against any plans to organize fresh elections and said he will not participate in it.

"In any case and for the reasons above, our client shall not participate in any other NRM processes regarding his status, including any fresh election exercises. He shall also vehemently contest them," said the letter.

This comes at the heels of a petition by Wilson Kajwengye, the candidate who came second in the party primaries.

The latter disputed the results citing mass irregularities in the electoral process therefore opted to petition president Museveni over the matter.

It took the intervention of NRM Central Executive Committee that met on Friday and reportedly ended up with a resolution that nullified the Nyabushozi County results and ordered for the conduction of fresh elections that Fred Mwesigye is opposed to.

On September 4th, NRM primary elections were held in Nyabushozi County and Fred Mwesigye was declared winner with 36,017 votes followed by Wilson Kajwengye, who polled 13,248 votes (24%) and Christopher Bakashaba got 5,601 votes.

It's against that background that Mwesigye through his lawyers of Okello Oryem and Co. Advocates vowed not to participate in any fresh polls because the Constitution, which transcends the party constitution, bars NRM from canceling his win and earlier endorsement.

"An election process is like a River; it does not flow backwards. Every stage is conclusive of its own. Therefore, once the party (NRM) exhausted its legal mandate with regard to the election and declared and endorsed our client as its flag bearer, it is not permitted by the national law to review or depart from its declaration and endorsement,"  the letter read.