National Unity Platform (NUP) president Bobi Wine has castigated disqualification of his party mayoral candidate for Makindye municipality Bosco Lusagala by the Uganda Electoral Commission (EC), giving a lee way for the ruling NRM party candidate Yasin Omar to pass through un opposed.
Earlier, the EC had confirmed the denomination of Lusagala and 11 other candidates, attributing it to the petition filed by Omar against his political the contenders, which has sparked criticisms from election observers, accusing the Commission of acting with biasness.
The denomination was premised on several grounds, including alleged failure to secure the required 20 signatures from each parish, registration of non-residents of Makindye, and other alleged electoral irregularities.
Now Bobi Wine decried Lusagala’s disqualification in the statement, noting that the decision, effectively leaves the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate unopposed.
“As we have said repeatedly, whatever Museveni and Byabakama are looking for, they will definitely get,” Bobi Wine stated, criticizing the EC of serving NRM’s incumbent Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni interests.
However, Bobi Wine said such actions only strengthen the resolve of those fighting for change, insisting that Ugandans have every reason to continue pushing for a free and fair political environment.
Impliedly, Lusagala’s technical knockout from the race is a clear kurt sailing through of the NRM candidate Omar, throwing the leading opposition party in forfeiture of an urban constituency which has been under its political control for 10 years.
Lusagala now joins a long list of several NUP candidates including Mathias Walukagga that have been technically removed by the EC from the race.
The Commission’s latest action comes at the backdrop of sharp criticism from several opinion leaders including His Majesty Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, calling upon its leaders to end what was described as its partiality against the opposition.
