We are ready for Bobi Wine petition - NRM

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has said the party has made all the necessary preparations to handle the National Unity Platform (NUP)’s presidential election petition which is slated to be filed in the Supreme Court today. 

The NUP leader, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, is seeking to challenge President Museveni’s victory in the January 14 presidential election.
In her address to the media at the NRM party headquarters in Kampala yesterday, the party’s secretary general, Ms Justine Kasule Lumumba, said they had assembled a legal team to defend Mr Museveni’s victory.  

“We have heard of somebody going to court. As a party we have all our declaration (of results) forms from all the polling stations. We have them ready and when we are served, we shall respond,” Ms Lumumba said.
She added: “When the Electoral Commission (EC) got the full results, they gave us a copy. Our lawyers are going through the declaration of results forms to see what is missing so that the secretary general can provide the necessary support.”

Ms Lumumba’s statement came after the NUP lawyers wrote to the Supreme Court on Saturday seeking to file the presidential election petition contesting Mr Museveni’s victory as announced by the EC on January 16.
However, the Supreme Court turned down the NUP request, saying courts do not work on weekends.
The NUP lawyers, led by Wameli and Company Advocates had asked the Supreme Court to allow them file the petition on Saturday as a measure to beat the 15-day deadline provided for under Article 104 of the Constitution as amended in 2017.

The court advised the lawyers that they would be allowed to file the petition today since the 15th day deadline fell on the weekend when courts are closed.
On January 28, EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama released the final results indicating that the incumbent President Museveni got 191, 861 votes in addition to those announced on January 16 bringing the total to 6, 042, 898 votes translating into 58.38 per cent. 

In the same announcement, Mr Kyagulanyi got an extra 156, 139 votes putting his total at 3, 631, 437 votes thus 35 per cent.
However, Mr Kyagulanyi has since rejected the EC results claiming he has overwhelming evidence of vote fraud to challenge Mr Museveni’s victory. 

Mr Kyagulanyi expressed pessimism on account that Supreme Court judges are appointed by President Museveni, who is the respondent in the petition.
None of the previous three presidential elections petitions challenging Mr Museveni’s victory have succeeded. The previous petitions were filed by Mr Amama Mbabazi in 2016 and Forum for Democratic Change’s (FDC) Col Dr Kizza Besigye in 2001 and 2006.