Joel Ssenyonyi has invoked scripture to celebrate a major legal victory after the High Court dismissed a petition seeking to disqualify him and six other candidates from the Nakawa Division West parliamentary race.
The petition, filed by rival Ivan Bwowe, sought to nullify the nominations of Ssenyonyi and others on the grounds that they were nominated for "Nakawa West" instead of the official "Nakawa Division West." Bwowe had asked the court to declare him the winner unopposed.
"They Shall Not Prevail"
Following the ruling, Ssenyonyi reacted by quoting Jeremiah 1:19:
“They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”
The National Unity Platform (NUP) heavyweight's reaction comes as a relief to his supporters, following a wave of nomination disputes that have targeted several opposition candidates ahead of the 2026 general elections.
In a strongly worded judgment, Justice Collins Acellam described the petition as a desperate attempt to bypass the democratic process.
“The effort of the Appellant through this petition is an audacious attempt to SNEAK to Parliament to represent a group of people whose mandate he has not obtained,” Justice Acellam ruled.
The judge clarified that "Nakawa West" and "Nakawa Division West" are used interchangeably and that the omission of the word "Division" was a minor clerical error already cured by the Electoral Commission. He further noted the irony in Bwowe's petition, pointing out that Bwowe himself appeared on official documents as a candidate for "Nakawa West."
The court emphasised that elective democracy must be decided by voters, not legal technicalities.
The Ruling: The court upheld the Electoral Commission’s decision to maintain all seven nominations.
The Reasoning: Disqualifying the candidates would deny voters the opportunity to choose their representative.
The Cost: Each party was ordered to bear its own legal costs.
This ruling sets a significant precedent for other candidates facing disqualification over administrative "misnomers" as the country heads toward the polls.