By Peter Luzinda
The Secretary General, National Unity Platform (NUP) David Lewis Rubongoya has revealed that the party will petition the high court on the Electoral Commissions (EC) denomination of Mathias Walukaga from the Busiro East Parliamentary race.
Rubongoya who addressed media at the party headquarters in Makerere – Kavule, hours after the EC announced Walukaga’s denomination, said the act was a witch hunt on NUP candidates vying for Parliament across the country.
Rubongoya noted that the Justice Simon Byabakama led EC paved way for NRM Lwemiyaga County MP contender, Brig. Gen Emmanuel Rwashande to stand for elections against incumbent MP Theodore Ssekikubo, by accepting the 1980 UPDF certificate before UPDF’s creation and was certified by the National council of Higher education could be used as a valid academic documents.
“The certificate was in the 1980’s apparently under UPDF, everybody could see that this was a nonsensical document but the Electoral Commission said, once the National council had given him a certificate, they had no power to inquire on the validity of that certificate” he said.
Rubongoya questioned how the Electoral commission which excused it’s self from verifying Gen Rwashande’s academic documents turned into the academic documents verifying body when it came to Walukaga’s case.
“They said, they are not a body that goes on to inquire about the validity of documents, they said they have to rely on the National council of higher education and we are asking them, if they didn’t have powers to look into the documents of Rwashande, when did they get the powers to look into the documents of Walukaga” he said.
Rubongoya noted that the party’s legal team is going to the high court to lodge an appeal against this decision of the Electoral Commission.
“We are handling this issue legally and politically, the party is going to sit very quickly, we know the people who are behind. I can tell them, the people of Busiro East will have the last laugh, you can’t impose yourself on the people if the people are tired of you, through all means that you may come up with” he said.
While addressing media, Walukaga urged his supporters to remain firm in support of his candidature for the Busiro East seat.
“National unity platform can’t nominate someone who doesn’t have academic qualifications, I personally couldn’t stand from the position of a councillor to a member of parliament “he said.
He further accused former NUP member and incumbent Medard Lubega Sseggona of being behind the plot to sabotage his candidature.