With only two days left to the National Elections, Mr Mahad Kawuma, an advocate of the High Court has sued the Justice Simon Byabakama led Uganda Electoral Commission and the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka over disqualifying nominated candidates from the ongoing electoral process.
Kawuma who has petitioned the constitutional court in Kampala is seeking to have the powers of the Electoral Commission to nullify candidates in the race for different positions to be taken over by the courts of law since it’s the same Electoral Commission that nominates the candidates it seeks to nullify.
“That once a candidate is duly nominated by a Returning Officer of the Electoral Commission, such nomination creates legal rights and legitimate expectations protected by the Constitution” the petition reads.
Kawuma noted that despite this, the Electoral Commission has developed and continues to apply a practice of entertaining complaints, reviews, or objections after nomination and purporting to denominate, disqualify, or nullify candidates already validly nominated.
Kawuma is further seeking for the placement of a specified legal time frame within which a nominated candidate can be disqualified from an elective position following his nomination to run for a political office.
Lawyer Kawuma’s petition to court comes after the Electoral commission nullifying over 10 candidates from different positions, mainly from the National Unity Platform (NUP) across the country.
Last week, the EC disqualified 11 candidates from the Makindye Division mayoral race and declared the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer, Yasin Omar, unopposed.
