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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Jimmy Akena, the President of the Uganda People’s Congress-UPC party has vowed to continue serving as party president despite court nullifying his presidency.
On Monday, justices Elizabeth Musoke, Christopher Madrama and Irene Mulyagonja ruled that Akena had illegally been elected into office during the 2015 party primaries.
Trouble for Akena followed a petition filed by the late Dr Joseph Bossa the then UPC vice President under the Olara Otunnu administration who challenged his election in 2015 on grounds that the UPC party Electoral Commission did not have the powers to declare him as UPC President.
The deceased who was later substituted with Professor Edward Kakonge argued in his petition that the delegate’s conference, which elected Akena wasn’t properly constituted.
High Court Judge Yasin Nyanzi agreed with the deceased and declared that the leadership of Akena was illegal. Nyanzi also ordered that Akena should not in any way be running the party activities including finances before he ordered for fresh elections.
However, Akena challenged Justice Nyanzi’s ruling in the Court of Appeal.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday at the party headquarters in Kampala, Akena said that he will continue with activities of the party as the President until 2025 when his term expires.
Akena’s five-year term was renewed last month August during a delegates conference.
In July, the Court of Appeal issued an interim order blocking UPC from conducting a National Delegates Conference that was slated for August 1 2020, where a new party president was going to be elected.
But Akena says the court order was served on 3rd August 2020 after the delegates conference.
According to the party road map, nominees for parliamentary seats are to return forms to the party on 11th September 2020. The party already announced it won’t be fronting any candidates for the biggest seat in the country, the presidency.
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