Col Mwesigye threatens to sue NRM for nullifying his Nyabushozi “victory”; to boycott fresh elections

The Nyabushozi County Member of Parliament, rtd. Col. Fred Mwesigye has warned the ruling NRM party of dire consequences for nullifying his victory in the concluded party primaries in Kiruhura district.

Following the September,4 election, Mwesigye who polled 36147 votes against Wilson Kajwengye’s 13248 was declared the winner.

However, Kajwengye protested the results and consequently, President Museveni, who is also the NRM national chairman directed that 28 villages in the area should vote again after his intelligence team informed him that of the 172 villages in the area, there were 56 villages whose results were changed.

However, in an October,12 letter to the NRM electoral commission chairman, Dr.Tanga Odoi, but also copied to President Museveni, Mwesigye through his lawyers says the party constitution and regulations on the structure and hierarchy of handling party election complaints were invoked by his opponent, Wilson Kajwengye .

“As it turned out, Kajwengye stated he would not participate in the re-election exercise at the 26 polling stations. He thereby effectively withdrew his complaint and as a result, no re-election too place at the 26 polling stations after you decided to cancel them altogether. This decision was incorrect in fact and at law,”Col.Mwesigye says.

He explained that the party has since notified him as the official flag bearer for Nyabushozi constituency in the general elections and that his nomination papers have since been endorsed.

The bush war hero however says he was stunned to be informed that fresh elections will be conducted on Thursday, noting that this is illegal since the matter has been overtaken by events.

“The party has exhausted its legal mandate with regard to the election and is not permitted by the national law to review or depart from its declaration and endorsement of our client as a flag bearer,”Mwesigye’s lawyers say.

“An electoral process is like a river, it does not flow backward. Every stage is conclusive of its own. Therefore, once the party exhausted its legal mandate with regard to the election and declared and endorsed our client as flag bearer, it is not permitted to review or depart from its declaration and endorsement.”

The lawyers warned that the party risks being embroiled in unnecessary litigations and interventions of court together with heavy costs that come with it if it overturns Col. Fred Mwesigye’s election as the Nyabushoi county NRM flag bearer.