Former Makindye mayoral aspirant Joe Jjuuko has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) following the disqualification of 11 aspirants from the Makindye Division mayoral race, a decision that has left National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, Yasin Omar unopposed.
Speaking after the EC released its final nomination list, Jjuuko said the move exposed serious administrative failures and alleged bias within the electoral body.
“It is sad that even the Electoral Commission has sided with the government,” Jjuuko said. “How do you nominate someone and then later disqualify them after asking for supplementary funding to acquire equipment and manpower to verify the submitted signatures?”
The EC stated that the aspirants were dropped after failing to meet nomination requirements, particularly the verification of supporter signatures during a post-nomination audit.
However, Jjuuko questioned the credibility of the process, noting that public funds had already been allocated to improve the nomination system.
“You can’t tell me that taxpayers’ money was used to improve the nomination process only for the same mistakes to be repeated in different electoral areas and districts,” he added.
The disqualification has effectively handed Omari victory without a contest, raising concerns among residents and political observers about reduced voter choice and the integrity of the nomination process.
While the Electoral Commission maintains that it acted within the law and applied uniform standards nationwide, critics argue that the mass disqualification undermines public confidence in the electoral system.
Makindye Division will now proceed to the polls with only one candidate on the ballot unless the affected aspirants successfully challenge the decision in court.