Sodo withdraws from Mawogola North MP race

Sembabule, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | Godfrey Aine Kaguta famously known as Sodo one the parliamentary contestants for Mawogola North Constituency have withdrawn from the race hours to polling day.

Sodo, a young brother to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been one of the eight aspirants vying to replace the Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kahamba Kuteesa, who retired from elective politics before fronting his daughter Shartsi Mushurure Nayebale Kuteesa to take up the position. 

Sodo told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that his decision to withdraw from the race was reached after a series of meetings with President Museveni who asked him to step down for his opponent for purposes of building cohesion both within the party and their family.

He says that President Museveni met with campaign teams from the two camps and convinced them to make a truce ahead of the Thursday polls. Sodo is however hesitant to divulge into details of their meeting.

Sodo and Museherure were standing as independent candidates following the controversy that surrounded the election and results from the National Resistance Movement Party primaries in the area. 

While the official NRM Electoral Commission tally results had given Sodo victory, Musherure disputed them on grounds of gross irregularities that included among others violence and ferrying in voters, which prompted the NRM elections Tribunal to nullify the whole process and withdrawing the party flag. 

However, Sodo challenged the party’s decision to withdraw his flag, by declaring the process a nullity.  

Last month, Justice Musa Ssekana ruled that it was illegal for the National Resistance Movement-NRM party Elections Dispute Tribunal to fail to decide on the legitimate candidate for the Mawogola North Parliamentary seat. 

Justice Ssekaana concurred with Sodo that the NRM Elections Dispute Tribunal acted in violation of the NRM Elections regulations of 2020 when it failed to make a definitive decision on the matter and instead chose to send it to the Central Executive Committee.

The stiff political contest between Sodo and Musherure has been characterized by fierce experiences that have put the district on tenterhooks and causing sharp divisions among the electorate. 

Musherure will now contest against Henry Nyanzi for National Unity Platform-NUP, Moses Lyazi of the Forum for Democratic Change-FDC and independents Salim Kisekka, Ismail Wagaba, Christine Nakayiza and Hillary Tukundane.

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