Minister sued over Sheema MP seat race

KAMPALA.

A prospective candidate has sued the minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, who wants to contest for the Sheema Municipality MP seat.
In a suit filed yesterday before the High Court Civil Division, Mr David Kamukama, who also sued the National Resistance Movement party (NRM) where he subscribes, claims that he was the nominated candidate for his party in the primary elections for the seat.
Mr Kamukama states that on April 24, the chairperson of NRM electoral commission issued a road map clearly indicating dates for nomination of candidates, which was to take place from May 7 to May 9 for its primaries in the new municipalities, including Sheema Municipality.

Not nominated
According to the court documents, Mr Kamukama claims that him and other candidates were duly nominated by NRM electoral commission on May 8, which same day Dr Tumwesigye, the Sheema North MP, applied for his nomination but he was not nominated. He was given two days to finalise and put his nomination in order.
Documents indicate that Dr Tumwesigye returned on May 14 when his nomination had already been cancelled and that the same decision had already been communicated to him.
“I verily believe that NRM’s decision to backtrack and nominate Dr Tumwesigye when his nomination had been cancelled is illegal. The NRM had no jurisdiction and power to revisit the nomination,” reads in part Mr Kamukama’s claim.
The documents further indicate that Mr Kamukama and other contestants were not satisfied by the redress offered by the party electoral body.

Judicial redress
He claims that the acts of the respondents [NRM and Dr Tumwesigye]have occasioned stress and anxiety on him thus seeking judicial redress to correct the administrative wrongs of NRM.
He also seeks an order compelling NRM to quash the candidature of Dr Tumwesigye for the NRM party primary elections for Sheema Municipality constituency.