Voter Petitions Court to overturn Victory of Ssekandi’s Rival in Bukoto central

BUKOTO CENTRAL, MASAKA: Martin Henry Bazzanya, a voter in Masaka district has run to High Court seeking to overturn the victory of Richard Ssebamala in the Bukoto Central parliamentary race.

Ssebamala who vied for the MP seat on the Democratic party ticket defeated the incumbent Bukoto Central MP and Vice president Edward Ssekandi, who was seeking his fifth five-year elective term.

According to the official EC results, Ssebamala garnered 9,916 votes while NRM’s Ssekandi managed only 4,902 votes.

However, Bazzanya, who identifies himself as a builder and businessman contends that Ssebamala was not validly elected. The voter claims that the MP-elect through his agents with his full knowledge and consent committed several illegalities and electoral offences during campaigns contrary to the laws governing parliamentary elections.

He also argues that the Electoral Commission made a mistake to nominate Ssebamala for the race after failing to make due diligence on his nomination papers, specifically, the voter location slip which he alleges was forged.

Bazzanya argues that Ssebamala lied to the Electoral Commission about his polling station when he erroneously placed himself at Luvunja playground polling station in Kyesiiga sub county yet in the actual sense, he is a voter at St. Modesta Primary School Bisanje, which is located in Kimanya-Kabonera division in Masaka city.

He also accuses Ssebamala of indulging in acts of voter bribery throughout the campaign period hence manipulating the electorates to vote for him basing on rewards and gifts he gave them.

He wants Masaka High court to overturn Ssebamala’s election and order the Electoral Commission to organize fresh polls in Bukoto Central constituency.

Ssebamala was not yet reachable to make a comment on the allegations levelled against him in the petition and he did not pick repeated calls from our reporter.

Nevertheless, one of his campaign agents, Moses Ssekindu has described the allegations as baseless and fabrication by desperate politicians. He argues that the petitioner is an unknown voter in the constituency whose election results he is challenging.