The Secretary General of the National Unity Platform (NUP), David Lewis Rubongoya, has announced that the party will petition the High Court over the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to nullify Mathias Walukagga’s nomination for the Busiro East Parliamentary race.
Addressing journalists at the party headquarters in Makerere-Kavule, Rubongoya described the move as a “witch-hunt” against NUP candidates contesting parliamentary seats nationwide.
He criticized the EC, led by Justice Simon Byabakama, for allowing NRM Lwemiyaga County MP aspirant Brig Gen Emmanuel Rwashande to contest against incumbent Theodore Ssekikubo, citing the acceptance of an academic certificate from the 1980s issued under the UPDF—before its formal creation—as valid.
Rubongoya argued that the National Council for Higher Education had certified Rwashande’s document, yet the EC relied on it without verification.
Rubongoya questioned the EC’s inconsistency: “If they didn’t have powers to verify Rwashande’s documents, when did they suddenly acquire powers to scrutinize Walukagga’s?”
He added that NUP’s legal team is preparing to challenge the EC’s decision in court.
“We are handling this legally and politically. The people of Busiro East will have the last laugh. You cannot impose yourself on people who are tired of you,” he said.
Meanwhile, Walukagga urged his supporters to remain steadfast.
“NUP cannot nominate someone without academic qualifications. I personally could not have stood from a councillor to a Member of Parliament otherwise,” he said.
Walukaga also accused former NUP member and incumbent MP Medard Lubega Sseggona of orchestrating a plot to undermine his candidature.
Justice Byabakama on Tuesday handed NUP and Walukagga a cruel blow, ruling that the academic certificate he presented had expired before he submitted his nomination papers on October 23, 2025.
The decision, issued by EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama, follows a petition lodged on November 4, 2025, which challenged Walukagga’s eligibility to stand as a Member of Parliament.
The petitioners argued that Walukagga had presented a Mature Age/Aptitude Test Certificate issued by the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) on June 12, 2023.
The certificate, which carries a two-year validity, expired on June 12, 2025—four months before nomination day.
Mature age certificates are issued by recognised universities or examination bodies to allow adult learners—typically those who are over the standard age for university entry—to enroll in tertiary education programs without the usual secondary school qualifications.