MUSEVENI NOMINATED NRM SOLE CANDIDATE FOR THE 2021 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

BY OUR POLITICAL REPORTERS

President Yoweri Museveni has been nominated the sole   NRM  candidate to contest the 2021 Presidential elections that will go ahead despite the ravaging novel- global  Covid-19 pandemic .

The nomination exercise was presided over by the NRM Electoral Commission Chairman, Dr Tanga Odoi who said the nomination exercise would not be extended due to the tight electoral  roadmap .

Dr Odoi said Mr Museveni, who is seeking a sixth elective term as president, paid Shs10m for nomination as presidential flag bearer and Shs10m as national NRM

Mr Museveni has since the resumption of multiparty politics in 2005 been elected the party’s national chairperson unopposed despite some incidents where challengers would show up but pull out shortly after.

Speaking at the launch of the NRM roadmap last week, Dr Odoi said the endorsement of Mr Museveni as a sole candidate by the different party organs last year needed to be put to a democratic test through the internal electoral processes to avoid possible litigation.

In January last year during a retreat at Chobe Safari Lodge in Nwoya District, CEC endorsed Mr Museveni as the party’s sole candidate for the 2021 General Election. The same proposal was endorsed by the NRM Parliamentary Caucus during a retreat at Kyankwanzi based National Leadership Institute mid-March last year.

Early this month, the Constitutional Court in a majority decision of 4-1 dismissed an application by party MPs, who had challenged the earlier endorsements of Mr Museveni’s sole candidature.

The suit was filed by 11 MPs who were challenging the decision of the CEC to endorse Mr Museveni as sole presidential candidate for 2021 General Election.
The case was heard by  a panel of Constitutional Court Justices led by acting Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo. Others were; Cheborion Barishaki, Kenneth Kakuru, Christopher Izama Madrama and Egonda Ntende.

The MPs who challenged the endorsement are; Theodore Ssekikubo ( Lwemiyaga County), Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga West), John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya County), Patrick Oshabe Nsamba (Kassanda North), Mbwatatekamwa Gaffa (Kasambya County), Samuel Lyomoki (Workers MP), Silvia Akello, (Otuke district), Susan Amero (Amuria Woman MP), James Acidri (Maracha East County) and Bildad Moses Adome (Jie County).

Some of these MPs had voted against the amendment of Article 102b of the Constitution to remove the Presidential age limit and after being labelled “rebel MPs”, they met Mr Museveni last week and agreed to work with NRM.

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