Owiny-Dollo directs Bobi Wine to gazette poll petition withdrawal request
Bobi Wine during the Monday briefing where he announced that he had lost hope of getting justice in the Supreme Court. Courtesy photo
Former presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has formally filed an application withdrawing his electoral petition challenging President Yoweri Museveni's victory.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) president, through his lawyers on Wednesday, outlined six grounds that influenced him to lose interest in the petition.
In one of the grounds, Mr Kyagulanyi argues that his decision to withdraw the petition was influenced by several factors and not by any corrupt bargain or consideration from President Museveni, the Electoral Commission or the Attorney General who are the respondents in the petition.
“The petitioner's decision to withdraw the petition has been influenced by the foregoing factors and not by any corrupt bargain or consideration from respondents or any other person,” reads part of the grounds for his withdrawal.
The musician turned politician said his witnesses are being abducted, tortured, harassed and intimidated by state security operatives at the behest of the 1st respondent (Museveni) and 3rd respondent's agents (Attorney General).
In his second ground, Bobi Wine told court that organs of the state like Uganda Police Force and National Identification Registrations of Persons Authority are being used by the respondents to investigate and infringe on the privacy of his witnesses.
Thirdly, Bobi Wine says the procedural rule governing President Election Petitions have been applied to disadvantage him and his petition in that his application for amendment of pleadings was disallowed thus suffocating major grounds from being incorporated into the petition.
“The petitioner's application for extension of time for filing of additional affidavits was disallowed thus frustrating effective prosecution of the petition,” the application reads in part.
Additionally, Bobi Wine says his political party offices were seized by state security operatives on the orders of President Museveni and the Attorney General's agents which rendered him unable to file relevant affidavits and evidence in support of the petition in time, at the time of filing his Petition.
The outgoing Kyadondo East MP further says he lost time when he was under illegal house detention but the Supreme Court is more inclined towards the strict timelines which has disadvantaged him to the advantage of the respondents (Museveni, Electoral Commission and the Attorney General).
He said that his decision to withdraw the petition has been influenced by the foregoing factors and not by any corrupt bargain or consideration from respondents or any other person.
After hearing submissions from Bobi Wine’s lawyers led by Mr Medard Lubega Sseggona, the Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo said the application to withdraw the petition will go to the noticeboard and it will be gazetted before there’s hearing for it.
Justice Owiny-Dollo directed Mr Sseggona to file a written affidavit from his client supporting the application to withdraw by closure of business today.
