JINJA SOUTH | EELCTION PETITION – Jinja High Court has summoned Nathan Igeme Nabeta, the Jinja South East MP-elect to respond to an election petition filed by his opponent and the incumbent MP Paul Mwiru challenging his election victory in the recently concluded polls.
Nabeta, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, was declared the winner in the January 14th polls after garnering 5,817 votes against Alliance for National Transformation (ANT)’s Mwiru with 5,580 votes.
However, through his Lawyers, Mwiru petitioned Court seeking the nullification of Nabeta’s victory, citing “excessive” vote rigging.
Mwiru alleges that Nabeta, who doubles as the Jinja city NRM party chairperson, connived with security operatives to frustrate his polling agents on the election day.
He also accused Electoral Commission officials of siding with Nabeta to rob him of his victory “even when the declaration forms show that I actually won the polls.”
In the Notice of Presentation of Petition dated March 25 seen by the Daily Express, Jinja High Court asked Nabeta to without fail, appear before it in person or through his advocates at exactly 2 PM on April 6.
“The petitioner has petitioned this honourable court for declaration that the declaration of the first Respondent (Nabeta) as the winner of the said election should be nullified and the petitioner be declared the winner of the said election,” reads the notice in part.
“You are also given ten days from the date hereof to file your reply to the election petition and take notice that in default of you so doing, this election petition will be heard and determined in your absence,” the Notice adds.
The two, Mwiru and Nabeta have been political rivals since 2006 when Mwiru attempted to block Nabeta from seeking a second elective term.
They competed for the same seat in the 2011 and 2016 elections. Mwiru managed to oust Nabeta through a court petition before he went on to win two successful terms by elections.
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