Africa-Press – Uganda. BUNDIBUGYO
-The State Minister for Veteran Affairs, Mr Christopher Kibanzanga, has petitioned the High Court in Fort Portal seeking among others to nullify the election of Mr Moses Acrobert Kiiza as Bughendera County MP.
Minister Kibanzanga, the incumbent Bughendera county MP, was seeking re-election in the January 14 polls which he lost to Mr Kiiza.
Formerly with the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change party in the neighbouring Kasese District, Mr Kibanzanga represented Busongora South for two terms before crossing over to the ruling National Resistance Movement party in 2015.
He later shifted to Bundibugyo District, his ancestral home to contest for the hilly Bughendera County in 2016 where he battled Mr Kiiza and others to replace Dr Joseph Matte Sibalinghana Kiregheya.
When contacted on Thursday, Kibazanga’s lead counsel, Mr Alfred Makasi of Kabega and Company Advocates confirmed the development.
“Yes, my client has petitioned the High Court. There was bribing of voters, falsification of results, and ballot stuffing among others. These are some of the grounds that my client Kibanzanga is petitioning the court to annul the election of Mr Kiiza,” Mr Kabega said.
In this election petition, Mr Kibanzanga has sued Mr Kiiza (Bughendera MP-elect) as the first respondent and the Electoral Commission as the second respondent.
According to the petition, a copy of which Saturday Monitor has seen, High Court was served on March 15 but when we talked to the other parties, they said they hadn’t been served.
“I have not yet received the petition. It’s still hearsay circulating on social media but let’s wait and see,” Mr Kiiza said.
The EC spokesperson, Mr Paul Bukenya, also said they are yet to be served.
Kibanzanga’s lead counsel Alfred Makasi said they will serve all the parties this week.
“Election of Bughendera County MP was so commercialized, the whole process was and a total mess and that’s what has forced me to go to court. I wouldn’t have gone to court if it was conducted in a free and fair manner,” Mr Kibanzanga said.
Kibanzanga among others is praying court to annul the election of Kiiza and declare him the winner of Bughendera County seat.The battle for Bughendera County between Mr Kiiza and Mr Kibazanga started in 2016 and crept into 2020 NRM primaries in which Kiiza lost to Kibanzanga.
Kiiza later unsuccessfully petitioned the NRM Secretariat and was not satisfied with the ruling. He bounced back as an Independent candidate in the January 14 elections where he ws declared winner with 13, 897 votes against Kibanzanga’s 13,462 votes.
