The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Supporters of the National Unity Platform-NUP party in Kasese and Bundibugyo districts have welcomed the decision by party president Robert Kyagulanyi to withdraw his presidential election petition from the court.
Kyagulanyi on Monday ordered his lawyers to withdraw a petition that he had filed in the Supreme Court challenging the outcome of January 14, 2021, presidential election that was won by President Museveni. Kyagulanyi accused some justices of being biased.
Sam Baluku who contested on the NUP ticket for the Kasese municipality mayoral seat says the decision was the only available option after the court rejected Kyagulanyi’s intention to amend his petition to introduce more grounds challenging the election.
Baluku reasons that the precedents of courts in the land give very little hope to Ugandans seeking justice.
He argues that from the start, they hard a foresight that the courts were sided.
Bryan Basiisa, the Kasese district NUP chairperson says how courts have handled the previous presidential election petitions gave them little hope of winning the petition.
However, he thinks the legal team should have given the courts a chance and the proceedings would have guided the team on the next course of action.
Fatiima Kabugho says she never expected the courts to overturn what was declared by the Electoral Commission. Kabugho thinks it could have been a waste of time and resources if Kyagulanyi had not withdrawn the petition.
Franklin Muhindo, the NUP coordinator for Bundibugyo district who has been part of the team gathering the pieces of evidence in the case welcomes Kyagulanyi’s decision. He says there was no need to seek redress from the court where they didn’t expect it.
Sharon Biira argues that the justices were appointed by President Museveni and thinks they had an interest in the case.
But independent election observer Crispin Kaheru says the decision by Kyagulanyi and his legal team reveals that the contestation at hand is more political than legal. He says under the current political circumstances, the petition expected little fairness from the judiciary systems they deem to be serving political interests.
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