Mabirizi Runs to East African Court, wants CJ Dollo out of Election Petition

KAMPALA, UGANDA: City Lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi has petitioned the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) asking to issue orders to Uganda’s Chief Justice Alphonse Owinyi Dollo to step down from the panel hearing Hon Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu’s presidential petition challenging Yoweri Museveni’s victory.

Chief Justice Dollo last week declined to recuse himself from the matter as earlier on requested by Mabirizi and promised to give his reasons later in his detailed judgement which will be delivered on notice

Dissatisfied with the decision, Mabirizi has now rushed to the regional court claiming that Dollo’s failure to recuse himself is unlawful, illegal, and infringement on the fundamental and operational principles of the East African community.

“Being a former advocate representing Yoweri Museveni Tibuhaburwa and meeting him several times in pendency to the petition, refusing to recuse himself from the petition is unlawful and an infringement on the fundamental and operational principles of the community which include good governance, adherence to the principles of democracy, rule of law and accountability,” he said.

The lawyer asked this court to issue a permanent injunction restraining the Chief Justice from any further participating in any matter related to Election Petition Number 1 of 2021 before the Supreme Court

Mabirizi also asked court to stay proceedings in the presidential petition before the Supreme court because this may affect his case before the East African court

The matter where Attorney General has been listed as the respondent was filed before the EACJ sub Registry at Kololo and Mabirizi told court that he will represent himself