Candidates threaten to boycott polls

Contestants in the NRM Parliamentary and local council primary elections in Iganga District have threatened to boycott the rescheduled Saturday’s polls if certain conditions are not fulfilled by the party’s electoral body.

In a communication signed by the Minister for Internal Affairs, Mr Kirunda Kivejinja and MPs Beatrice Magoola Zirabamuzale (Iganga Women) and Milton Muwuma (Kigula South) among others, the contestants said the elections could not be conducted in their district because conditions are not favourable to ensure free and fair elections.

“We are calling on the NRM electoral commission to correct the situation so as to have free and fair elections. New ballot papers and all other voting materials must be printed,” the communication sent to Daily Monitor reads yesterday in part.

“All the necessary voting materials must be provided to all the villages and sealed at the time of packaging. The sealed materials must be packaged in their respective sub counties and properly marked.”

The leaders stressed that all the voting materials must be sent under strict monitoring to the district. “All materials fully sealed for the villages must be examined by all the agents before opening at the villages and the materials must be recorded and signed by all agents before elections and to have all the above effected, the current NRM election officials in the district must be removed and new ones appointed,” they said.

Meanwhile, the police are holding Buhaguzi MP Tom Kyahurwenda for allegedly being involved in poll malpractices in the ongoing NRM flagbearer elections. The Midwestern regional police spokesperson, Ms Zurah Ganyana, said Mr Kyahurwenda is being accused of inciting violence.

By press time, the accused was being transported from Kabwooya Sub-county to Hoima police for detention.