The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Elections Disputes Tribunal will begin hearing all petitions arising from the July 17 parliamentary primaries starting July 29 and running through to September 1, 2025.
The tribunal, constituted under the directive of President Kaguta Museveni, has received a total of 381 petitions so far, most of them citing allegations of vote rigging, multiple voting, and participation of ineligible voters.
The tribunal is chaired by lawyer John Musime and structured into eight panels, each consisting of three legal professionals.
Each panel is expected to handle at least 56 petitions a day. The panels are tasked with receiving, hearing, and resolving complaints from aggrieved NRM members.
However, the tribunal’s mandate is strictly civil in nature—any criminal elements uncovered during proceedings will be referred to the police and other relevant security agencies.
Each party in the dispute—complainants and respondents alike—will be limited to five attendees per session, including their lawyers if they choose to have legal representation.
The establishment of the tribunal follows mounting pressure on the party leadership, particularly NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Tanga Odoi, who has come under heavy scrutiny after Museveni publicly condemned the conduct and outcomes of the primaries.
In a strongly worded statement last week, Museveni decried the primaries as having been hijacked by “self-seekers” who manipulated results, bribed voters, and interfered with the integrity of voter registers.
“Why doesn’t Tanga Odoi change and announce the proper results?” Museveni asked rhetorically. “How does anybody change that [open lining up], other than making oneself a fool?”
The president was referencing the party’s open-voting system, in which voters line up in broad daylight behind candidates of their choice.
Mr Museveni described attempts to alter such visible results as both foolish and politically dangerous.
He further revealed that the NRM Lawyers’ Committee, now functioning as the tribunal, would take over the process of reviewing and correcting the disputed outcomes—stripping Tanga Odoi of that role.
“Our lawyers have advised that Tanga Odoi cannot be the one who corrects a mistake that he made,” Museveni said.
“Everything will be rectified. It is just the facts and evidence that will conclude the matter.”
By the evening of July 21, the NRM Secretariat had received at least 97 formal petitions. That number has now risen to 381, signaling a significant level of discontent and raising concerns over potential fallout within the party.
Several candidates have warned that if the process fails to deliver justice, they may either run as independents or quit the party altogether.
Throughout the country, the July 17 primaries were marred by widespread reports of chaos, including ballot tampering, voter intimidation, and in some cases, violent confrontations between rival factions.
In some districts, the exercise descended into clashes, with reports of gunfire and injuries.
The stakes remain high. The NRM primaries have long been treated as a de facto general election for many aspirants, and the level of competition frequently turns violent.
This year proved no different, with accusations flying and trust in the party’s electoral mechanisms once again tested.
President Museveni, who has on multiple occasions pledged to clean up the internal processes of the ruling party, now faces the challenge of proving that this tribunal will offer more than lip service.
Whether the political will he has expressed will be matched by effective and impartial enforcement remains to be seen. For now, all eyes are on the tribunal as it begins its hearings next week.
