Opposition political party, Justice Forum (JEEMA), has accused the National Unity Platform (NUP), another opposition political party, of rigging its victory in the guild presidential election for Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
This follows a controversial Friday night declaration by the University’s electoral commission that saw NUP’s Nasasira Bill Clinton emerge victorious.
He, according to the Commission, garnered 970 votes followed by JEEMA’s Katushabe Maureen who obtained 785 votes.
The candidate of the ruling political party, National Resistance Movement (NRM), Nuwabine Martin collected 495 Votes and Erima Augustine, an independent candidate, managed only 292 votes.
Now, JEEMA’s Katushabe has outrightly rejected the results on grounds that it was characterised by unprecedented levels of rigging, voter intimidation and other malpractices.
“We experienced the most undeserving electoral process for this university in our history, it was marred with electoral malpractice, such as rigging, voter bribery, intimidation, obstruction of our agents, violence, multiple voting, unregistered students casting their votes and multiple bleach of the constitution and the electoral guidelines, rules and regulations that were established hoping that they would guide the process effectively,” Katushabe Maureen said on Saturday.
It is unfortunate that NUP has chosen to label it self and create an identity with vote rigging, violence and all forms of electoral malpractice using young Ugandans as evidenced in MUST guild elections
Katushabe Maureen
“I would like to disassociate myself from the election results that were announced by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission. Such results are an insult to the students, they are fake, coerced, fabricated and they do not represent the will of students and I challenge the electoral commission to present to us as to how they derived at the number of votes they accorded to each Candidate,” she added.
Katushabe says she has since consulted her lawyers and political party and resolved to drag Nasasira Bill Clinton and the NUP to Court for depriving students their prepared leader.
“Article 6 (D) of the students’ guild constitution accords a member rights and powers to express his/her feelings or opinions in any proper manner on matters affecting the guild and all its members. As such, matters of electoral malpractice affects the students’ fraternity, the administrators and it poses a negative image to the social status of the University and all other stakeholders who hold our University in high esteem,” Katushabe noted.
“After a thorough consultation from my supporters, my campaign team, agents, party and the legal team in accordance to Article 9 paragraph D, we have decided to challenge the election results which have no basis and do not represent the will of MUSTERIANS”
“I have assembled a legal team of seven (7) lawyers to pursue the matter and restore the students’ victory and we are very much determined,” she added.
Katushabe wondered why the same political party that decried vote rigging in the recent by-elections across the country would be the one championing election malpractice at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
“It is unfortunate that NUP has chosen to label it self and create an identity with vote rigging, violence and all forms of electoral malpractice using young Ugandans as evidenced in MUST guild elections,” Katushabe added.
“Which country are we building and what legacy are we setting for the young generation” she added before reiterating that every Ugandan of sober mind should condemn what she termed as barbaric behavior.
The University’s guild constitution gives three days for petitioning in case of any contestation of the results.
Katushabe notes that together with her legal team, they will act within the stipulated time frame to reclaim my victory from the “barbaric group.”
“We are just at the preamble stage of yet another big battle ahead of us and we strongly believe, the status quo will change, sanity will be restored and indeed succeed. We must because it is not about me but us.”
Court will decide