Party aspirant seeks to block NRM CEC elections

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A member of National Resistance Movement party Moses Banalekaki has petitioned the court seeking to block the forthcoming elections for the party’s top organ, the Central Executive Committee.

The elections were set for August 7, 2020, but were postponed to August 18, 2020.

However, Banalekaki has petitioned the Civil Division of High Court through his lawyers of TAK Advocates seeking to block the polls.

He contends that between May to July 2020, NRM through her top organ, Central Executive Committee passed a resolution to the effect that the party’s Electoral Commission exclusively nominates and conducts elections of candidates only for a few positions and leave out other positions of Special Interest Groups which would make CEC fully constituted.

Banalekaki says that they resolved to nominate and conduct their elections for positions such as NRM National Chairperson, First and Second National vice-chairpersons and six regional representatives.

However, Banalekai alleges that CEC resolved not to nominate candidates for other CEC positions such as representatives of Special Interest Groups particularly the youth league, a position for interest to him.

He further notes that in implementing the NRM CEC resolution, the party’s Electoral Commission consequently issued a road map in July in which it indicated that only CEC candidates for the said positions would be nominated and allowed to contest. This according to him will leave out candidates for representative of the youth league without giving any justifiable cause.

Banalekaki adds that unless the elections are conducted for all CEC positions, there will not be a legally constituted CEC in as far as the NRM party constitution is concerned.

“The resolution and decision by the respondents to conduct elections only for a section of the CEC membership is not only unreasonable but also biased, selfish, malicious, illegal and discriminative in nature”, reads his petition in part.

Banalekaki says due to the party’s illegal and selfish resolution, he has been disfranchised and denied his right to participate in the NRM party electoral process and this has caused him mental anguish and injury for which he will demand compensation in the main petition.

He adds that he has incurred a lot of expenses in the electoral process basing on the political roadmap issued by NRM in Jan 2019 and for the last one year, he has been moving through the entire country meeting voters, conversing for support.

In the interest of justice, Banalekaki wants the court to block the CEC pending the determination of his petition challenging the legality of the resolution, otherwise, he says he will suffer irreparable damages because he can only compete for that position once due to age limitations.

However, the spokesperson of National Resistance Movement Rogers Mulindwa says the party will be handling elections of the Special Interests groups at a later date which will be communicated.

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