By Sylvia Nankya.
Four of the candidates in the just concluded Kampala Mayoral race are taking legal action against the Electoral Commission challenging the outcome of the Poll claiming it was a nullity.
Michael Mabikke, Francis Babu, Sandra Ngabo and Emmanuel Tumusiime claim the electoral commission erred to organize fresh polls for Kampala before concluding investigations into factors that led to the cancellation of the 23 rd February Poll.
The February 23rd mayoral elections were called off after reports of massive ballot stuffing, intimidation and violence which left several people injured.
The rescheduled election held on March 14th gave Kampala Central MP Erias Lukwago a landslide win to become Kampala’s first Lord Mayor after polling 229,325 (64.41%), of the total ballots cast. Lukwago beat his main challenger and NRM flag bearer Peter Sematimba, who polled 119,015 (33.43%) votes.
Michael Mabikke of the Social Democratic Party came third with 4,092 votes (1.15%). Francis Babu, an independent got 2,059 votes (0.58%). Other contenders Sandra Katebalirwe Ngabo, and Emmanuel Tumusiime of the Forum for Integrity in Leadership managed 1,035 votes (0.29%) and 539 votes (0.15%) respectively.
Two of the four candidates Michael Mabikke and Emmanuel Tumusiime told Journalists in Kampala that “We want to convince court to nullify the outcome of the exercise on the basis that it was not organized legitimately. There’s no way the EC should have conducted elections before availing a report on the February 23rd fracas”
They said the EC failed to listen to demands contained in a petition they filed before fresh polls were organized.
They had wanted the commission to cancel the nomination of all individuals who were linked to the stuffed ballot boxes recovered from various polling centers in the initial poll.
They also demanded for compensation from the EC amounting to Shs60 million each for the time and money lost due to cancellation of the elections and the ballot papers format changed to ensure that the leaked papers would not be used again.
However the Group said it had already instructed lawyers led by Michael Oketcha to handle the matter. “The process has already started and we are also ready to prove that the election shouldn’t have taken place on that day” They said.
They are also challenging the number of voters who participated in the exercise saying the results announced do not correspond with the number of voters recorded by their agents on polling day.
They allege Erias Lukwago paid 50 Million shillings to a Group of youths led by a one Dalausi; to vote in names which appeared on the voters register without pictures.
Mabikke alleges the group was initially hired to handle the task for Peter Sematimba but abandoned him in favor of the highest bidder.
“Some agents abandoned one candidate and did the Job for Lukwago, so there is overwhelming proof that about 150.000 of the votes announced were Ghost. Sematimba was also a victim of such antics, he ought to have won the election” Mabikke added.
Asked why he did pull out of the race after the EC failed to heed to their demands Mabikke said “Fighters never walk away however much the ground is not leveled otherwise you will be mistaken for a coward.” End.
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