More National Unity Platform (NUP) Members of Parliament elect (MPS) face a possibility of having their election invalidated, Blazer News Times can exclusively report.
Reliable sources close to one of the power centers in the ruling NRM government exclusively confirmed to this news Website that the move is aimed at reducing the number of the leading opposition party MP slots in the 12th parliament, currently from 51 allocated through Electoral Commission (EC) declaration, to relatively a lower figure.
This move if succeeds according to sources, would be an enabler to weakening the Bobi Wine ‘s led opposition side in parliament, which one of the power centers claims to have severally created a stalemate on several matters in the august house, through what has come to be described as a play of hardline and an extremist politics.
Sources also claim that slashing the slots would pave way for Independents to be brought at the fore in place of the leading opposition player as far as pushing for parliamentary legislative agenda is concerned, through exploring possible legal options in existing legal frame work.
To achieve the said invalidation scheme according to the sources, recount of the votes in some opposition declared won constituencies, would be carried out in favor of either NRM or Independent NRM leaning candidates.
Highly placed sources told this news Website that it had to start with Masaka sub region including Masaka district where the NRM second runners up candidate Justine Nameere claimed, her votes from 11 poling stations intentionally went un tallied by the area EC Returning Officer (RO), thus applying for an order of vote recount from the Masaka Chief Magistrate Court, which was later granted. Before this, Kalungu West and East MPs elect had tested the said recount exercise.
The January 15, 2026 EC original result declaration had put Nameere on 20,324 votes, Rose Nalubowa (NUP) 25, 443 votes, Juliet Nakabuye Kakande (DF) 6, 343, while Sauya Nanyonga (Independent) 6,196. 59,499 total votes were cast in Masaka city women race including invalid ballots.
However, following the controversial recount by the Chief Magistrate Abert Asiimwe, Nameere was allocated 25,502 votes, Nalubowa 23,176 votes, incumbent Kakande 6,136 votes while Nanyonga 5,921. Asiimwe confirmed Nameere the duly elected Masaka district Woman MP under a certificate of vote recount signed by himself.
By contrast, the recount result allocated 60,735 votes to candidates alone, with exception of invalid votes and votes from other polling stations whose ballot boxes found having been tampered with and were set aside by Asiimwe.
Impliedly from the figures, the 3-day controversial recount produced more votes contrary to the initial.
Ahead of the recount in Masaka according to sources, the military first besieged the district EC office before Nameere team could be allowed to enter inside the store where the used electoral materials are kept, amidst protest from Nalubowa who was not allowed in with her team.
The presiding Grade one Magistrate had first put all parties on the notice that he would not continue with the recount exercise should they come across any un sealed box, since it is the position of the law. (Parliamentary Elections Act).
However, he departed from his own decision when he went on with an exercise that saw some boxes unsealed, others with ballot papers for only one candidate (Nameere), while others empty.
Speaking to the journalists, Asiimwe justified his act, insisting that he was acting in the interest of administering justice for all, in line with the judiciary’s vision. “The law develops. If we continue to say that whenever you find one box with a broken seal you don’t count, it would not be valid for me who believes in justice for all”. He defended himself.
Sources say that from Masaka, the plan would be expanded to other select areas of interest.
