Masaka Chief Magistrate, Abert Asiimwe on Monday morning declared the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, Justine Nameere as Masaka City Woman MP-elect .
This followed a contentious four-day vote recount, overturning the Electoral Commission’s earlier declaration of National Unity Platform (NUP)’s Ms Rose Nalubowa as the winner.
According to the chief magistrate, Ms Nameere, who ran to court for a recount, polled 25, 502 votes, beating three other contenders, despite some ballot boxes having been found tampered with.
The magistrate indicated that Nalubowa, who had earlier been declared the winner by Masaka City returning officer, garnered 23,176 votes while Democratic Front (DF)’s Juliet Nakakande, who is the incumbent MP, polled 6,136 votes as Ms Sauya Nanyonga, who contested as an Independent candidate, trailed with 5,921 votes.
When Mr Asiimwe on Friday, January 30, ruled in favour of Ms Nameere’s application for a vote recount, the exhausting exercise, which dragged into its third day by yesterday, caught many stakeholders off guard.
As the recount unfolded, surprising twists and turns further fuelled debate among stakeholders, especially after NUP denounced the exercise as a sham when one ballot box was discovered with its original seal broken. A section of stakeholders questioned Mr Asiimwe’s decision to overrule the well-trodden path of precedent, where courts have previously halted recounts once a broken seal was detected.
“Since the vast majority of the ballot boxes have been found still unopened, the process of recount should proceed and only exclude the box whose seal was broken,” the Chief Magistrate ruled. This ruling ruffled feathers, upsetting respondent Rose Nalubowa (NUP) and her legal team, led by Samuel Muyizzi and Herbert Zikusooka, who stormed out in protest of what they called an unexpected and shocking decision.
“The chief magistrate is deliberately bending the law in favour of NRM. This sets a very bad precedent, and we are going to challenge the process in the High Court,” Counsel Muyizzi said.
Both Muyizzi and Nalubowa accused the Chief Magistrate of contradicting himself, pointing out that he had earlier stated the exercise would be discontinued if any ballot box was found tampered with. Nalubowa emphasised that Asiimwe had categorically ruled that the recount would not proceed under such circumstances.
Despite this, the Chief Magistrate maintained that since most ballot boxes were intact, only the tampered one should be excluded. By yesterday, unease was spreading among stakeholders, compounded by unusual developments outside the courtroom, including the sudden transfer of Masaka City Returning Officer Ahmed Nadduli Misisi, replaced by Gracious Aryaija from Sembabule District. This publication could not independently verify claims linking the transfer to the recount. Meanwhile, heavy security blanketed EC offices, with nearby roads sealed off, leaving motorists between a rock and a hard place.
After Nalubowa was declared the winner of the Masaka City Woman MP seat by the Electoral Commission Returning Officer, Ms Nameere, through her lawyer, Sam Ssekyewa, claimed results from 11 polling stations were omitted during tallying. She argued that the omission tilted the scales in Nalubowa’s favour. According to her application, she raised objections during tallying, but the Returning Officer advised her to seek remedies elsewhere.
“Results from some polling stations were improperly tallied and others altered, entering false figures against what is on declaration of results forms which also affected the final results and this can properly be corrected through a recount,” the applicant (Nameere) said. Polling stations allegedly omitted included Kasijjagirwa Playground, Kimaanya Centre Church Road, Gayaza Primary School, Former Bright Africa Primary School, Butego LC1, Molly and Paul Primary School, and Katanga Catholic Church, among others. Counsel Muyiizi has since sought a judicial review to overturn Nameere’s court-declared victory .It remains to be seen where the former TV presenter will be gazetted and serve as a legislator or she will be thrown out .
NRM’s Nameere declared Masaka City Woman MP-elect amid protests from NUP
Masaka Chief Magistrate, Abert Asiimwe on Monday morning declared the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, Justine Nameere as Masaka City Woman MP-elect .
This followed a contentious four-day vote recount, overturning the Electoral Commission’s earlier declaration of National Unity Platform (NUP)’s Ms Rose Nalubowa as the winner.
According to the chief magistrate, Ms Nameere, who ran to court for a recount, polled 25, 502 votes, beating three other contenders, despite some ballot boxes having been found tampered with.
The magistrate indicated that Nalubowa, who had earlier been declared the winner by Masaka City returning officer, garnered 23,176 votes while Democratic Front (DF)’s Juliet Nakakande, who is the incumbent MP, polled 6,136 votes as Ms Sauya Nanyonga, who contested as an Independent candidate, trailed with 5,921 votes.
When Mr Asiimwe on Friday, January 30, ruled in favour of Ms Nameere’s application for a vote recount, the exhausting exercise, which dragged into its third day by yesterday, caught many stakeholders off guard.
As the recount unfolded, surprising twists and turns further fuelled debate among stakeholders, especially after NUP denounced the exercise as a sham when one ballot box was discovered with its original seal broken. A section of stakeholders questioned Mr Asiimwe’s decision to overrule the well-trodden path of precedent, where courts have previously halted recounts once a broken seal was detected.
“Since the vast majority of the ballot boxes have been found still unopened, the process of recount should proceed and only exclude the box whose seal was broken,” the Chief Magistrate ruled. This ruling ruffled feathers, upsetting respondent Rose Nalubowa (NUP) and her legal team, led by Samuel Muyizzi and Herbert Zikusooka, who stormed out in protest of what they called an unexpected and shocking decision.
“The chief magistrate is deliberately bending the law in favour of NRM. This sets a very bad precedent, and we are going to challenge the process in the High Court,” Counsel Muyizzi said.
Both Muyizzi and Nalubowa accused the Chief Magistrate of contradicting himself, pointing out that he had earlier stated the exercise would be discontinued if any ballot box was found tampered with. Nalubowa emphasised that Asiimwe had categorically ruled that the recount would not proceed under such circumstances.
Despite this, the Chief Magistrate maintained that since most ballot boxes were intact, only the tampered one should be excluded. By yesterday, unease was spreading among stakeholders, compounded by unusual developments outside the courtroom, including the sudden transfer of Masaka City Returning Officer Ahmed Nadduli Misisi, replaced by Gracious Aryaija from Sembabule District. This publication could not independently verify claims linking the transfer to the recount. Meanwhile, heavy security blanketed EC offices, with nearby roads sealed off, leaving motorists between a rock and a hard place.
After Nalubowa was declared the winner of the Masaka City Woman MP seat by the Electoral Commission Returning Officer, Ms Nameere, through her lawyer, Sam Ssekyewa, claimed results from 11 polling stations were omitted during tallying. She argued that the omission tilted the scales in Nalubowa’s favour. According to her application, she raised objections during tallying, but the Returning Officer advised her to seek remedies elsewhere.
“Results from some polling stations were improperly tallied and others altered, entering false figures against what is on declaration of results forms which also affected the final results and this can properly be corrected through a recount,” the applicant (Nameere) said. Polling stations allegedly omitted included Kasijjagirwa Playground, Kimaanya Centre Church Road, Gayaza Primary School, Former Bright Africa Primary School, Butego LC1, Molly and Paul Primary School, and Katanga Catholic Church, among others. Counsel Muyiizi has since sought a judicial review to overturn Nameere’s court-declared victory .It remains to be seen where the former TV presenter will be gazetted and serve as a legislator or she will be thrown out .