Ugandas Amama Mbabazi loses presidential petition

The Ugandan Supreme Court has dismissed the presidential poll petition filed by former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi.

Mbabazi was a former tenth Prime Minister of Uganda and Secretary General of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Mbabazi filed his petition on March 1st, 2016 seeking the court’s intervention to declare President-elect Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as not validly elected and that the presidential elections conducted by the  Electoral Commission (EC) were null and void.

Ugandan Chief Justice Bark Katureebe dismissed the petition saying Museveni was validly elected and that it was not necessary to order for a recount of the votes in all the 44 districts.

The court, however, faulted the Ugandan Electoral Commission saying it was inexcusable that it didn’t provide reasons on as to why results from 1,777 polling stations were left out by declaration day.

However, Mbabazi also wanted the court to order a vote recount in 44 districts where he alleged that there was massive vote rigging that took place during the election period.

On the claim of non-compliance with the set standards, the court reiterated that there was no evidence to directly link the proven instances of non-compliance to the first respondent, President Yoweri Museveni.

“There was non-compliance but we’re not satisfied it affected the results in a substantial manner,” Katureebe ruled.

The court also ruled that the petitioner did not adduce evidence that he had sought equal media coverage and that his request had been denied.

Report by Benedict Adipo