Africa-Press – Uganda. Mwenge North Member of Parliament David Muhumuza has formally withdrawn his petition challenging the declaration of Lawrence Akugizibwe as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer for the constituency ahead of the 2026 general elections.
The petition was scheduled to be heard by the NRM Elections Tribunal on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, but was dropped just minutes before proceedings began.
In his written notice of withdrawal, Muhumuza raised concerns over the lack of a formal response from the respondent and the failure to access critical electoral documents — including original tally sheets and voter registers used during both the LCI and parliamentary primaries.
Akugizibwe was declared winner of the Mwenge North NRM primaries with 24,705 votes (57%), while Muhumuza polled 16,821 votes (39%).
Despite the result margin, Muhumuza had filed a petition citing multiple irregularities.
These included alleged voter disenfranchisement, the use of different registers for separate elections, interference by partisan actors, and the alleged withholding of original tally sheets by the district NRM registrar — documents he said were essential to proving discrepancies.
In his withdrawal statement, Muhumuza explained that due to the unavailability of these documents and lack of engagement from the respondent, the petition could not be pursued to a “satisfactory conclusion.”
“On the issues raised, they will not be exhaustively deliberated upon to my satisfaction,” he stated.
He, however, reaffirmed his loyalty to the party, adding, “I remain a strong and committed member of the NRM and will seek redress through other internal mechanisms if necessary.”
Akugizibwe welcomed the decision and called for unity. “He realized that he had no grounds to win this. I am hoping he joins us to work for the party and the constituency,” he told journalists outside the tribunal venue.
The development is expected to ease internal tensions in Mwenge North as the party seeks to consolidate its base ahead of the 2026 polls.
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