Mugisa to challenge Akugizibwe’s victory in court

Masindi: Julius Mugisa, an independent candidate who lost to National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer Ronald Akugizibwe Aled in the recently concluded general elections for Buruli County, Masindi District, has announced plans to challenge Akugizibwe’s victory in court, citing alleged electoral irregularities.

According to the Electoral Commission, Akugizibwe Aled Ronald (NRM) won the parliamentary seat with 13,321 votes, followed by Julius Mugisa with 11,087 votes. Other contenders included Zacheus Mwetegya (Independent) with 1,365 votes, Patrick Ongei (DF), Fred Barongo (Independent), and Ismail Nyakojo (Independent), while FDC’s Fredrick Banage Bitamale came last with 222 votes.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, Mugisa said he has hired five legal firms to reinforce his petition challenging Akugizibwe’s victory, noting that he has sufficient evidence of electoral malpractices, including ballot stuffing and voter bribery.

Mugisa declined to disclose the names of the legal firms but said preparations are at an advanced stage. He further alleged that although the Electoral Commission announced the final results, it did not read results from each polling station, which he said compromised transparency.

Mugisa cited other irregularities, including multiple voting and intimidation of his agents, some of whom he claims were chased away from polling stations. He, however, called for calm among his supporters, expressing confidence that justice will prevail in courts of law.

He also revealed that several cases related to the alleged irregularities have been opened at Masindi Central Police Station, adding that his legal teams are gathering evidence on the ground, including statements from voters, ahead of filing the petition.

According to Mugisa, the purpose of petitioning the Electoral Commission and the courts is to promote transparency in the electoral process. He stated that he still belongs to the NRM party but appealed to voters to elect leaders based on service delivery rather than political party affiliation.

Meanwhile, Mugisa’s agent, Stephen Kabindi, accused the Electoral Commission of irregular tallying, alleging that the returning officer only tallied results from 10 out of 141 polling stations before declaring a winner an action he says undermines the rights of other contestants.

Responding to the allegations, Masindi Electoral Commission Returning Officer, Gastervus Kakaire, said his office had not yet received any petition but would officially respond once it is filed.

Kakaire added that any candidate dissatisfied with the declaration of election results has the right to seek redress in courts of law.

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