JINJA HIGH COURT: Former Kamuli Woman MP Contestant, Proscovia Salaamu Musumba of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has petitioned the high court in Jinja challenging Speaker Rebecca Kadaga’s victory in the recently concluded polls for Kamuli District Woman Member of Parliament.
In the race to represent Kamuli, the incumbent, Speaker Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga emerged winner with 92,388 votes while Musumba trailed in second with 26,851 votes.
Musumba has now sought Court intervention to nullify Kadaga’s victory and order the electoral commission to organize fresh elections for the Kamuli District Woman MP position.
Musumba filed her petition through her lawyers; Galisonga & Co. Advocates and Isabirye & Co. Advocates where she seeks to sue both the Electoral Commission for failing to conduct a free and fair election and Kadaga accusing her of voter bribery and rigging.
“Your humble petitioner contends that in the conduct of the aforementioned elections, the 2nd respondent grossly failed in its constitutional duty of organizing a free and fair election, in that the agents refused to properly use biometric voter identification machines at most of polling stations,” part of the petition reads.
Musumba says that Kadaga’s polling agents presided over malpractices at polling stations like ballot stuffing, falsifying declaration of results forms, forcing her agents of the petitioner to sign declaration of results forms among others.
She adds that there was inflating the votes purportedly scored by the Kadaga and that EC agents refused to properly use biometric voter identification machines at most of the polling stations.
Musumba states that during the campaign period, with the intent of influencing voters to vote for her, Kadaga personally and through her agents with her knowledge, bribed voters with money, gifts like tents- written on ‘Donated by Kadaga’, motor vehicles, motorcycles and money and many other items.
She accuses Kadaga of organizing violent groups to deface her campaign posters in Kamuli and using abusive language against her during campaigns.
“Organized violent groups to meet violence and/or threaten violence against the petitioner and her supporters and defaced campaign posters in Nabwigulu sub-county, Kmauli municipality, Kitayunywa sub-county, Magogo sub-county, Balawali sub-county and several other places in Kamuli district.”
Musumba also accused the electoral body of selectively recruiting polling officials hostile to her and intentionally doing so to assault the tenets of level-ground competition and fair play thus compromising the electoral process.
Salaamu Musumba wants Court to nullify Kadaga’s victory so that she vacates her seat, and to order for fresh elections for Woman Representative Kamuli District be held again.
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