The chief mobiliser of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Fred Nyanzi, has described the decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) to nullify Mathias Walukagga’s candidature for the Busiro East parliamentary seat as a deliberate tactic by the state to derail the party’s momentum ahead of the 2026 general elections.
On Tuesday, the EC ruled that Walukagga, the incumbent Kyengera Town Council mayor, was disqualified from the race on grounds that his submitted academic certificate had “expired” by the time nominations closed.
In an appearance on NBS Television’s Barometer show, Nyanzi argued that the move was politically motivated.
“They have seen the man has popular support in his constituency and decided to disqualify him so as to create a diversion,” Nyanzi said.
He added that several other aspirants, including Brig Gen Emmanuel Rwashande (whose candidature was challenged by NRM’s Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo), had been petitioned, yet only Walukagga was singled out.
“There are so many who have been petitioned. Why target Walukagga with such focus? Their intention is to distract us from our goal of rescuing this country,” he said.
In his ruling, EC Chairperson Simon Byabakama Mugenyi invoked Section 4(1)(c) of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Cap 177), which sets the minimum academic requirements for nomination.
The Commission concluded Walukagga did not meet this threshold.
Meanwhile, NUP has rejected the policy, calling the decision a “witch-hunt” against its parliamentary candidates across the country.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, the party’s Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, announced plans to petition the High Court over the nullification decision.