The National Unity Platform (NUP) has vowed to challenge the Electoral Commission (EC) in court over its decision to nullify Mathias Walukagga’s nomination for the Busiro East parliamentary seat.
Speaking at the party headquarters in Makerere-Kavule, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya described the EC’s decision as part of a targeted witch-hunt against NUP candidates nationwide.
Rubongoya questioned the EC’s consistency, citing the acceptance of academic documents from NRM Lwemiyaga County MP aspirant Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Rwashande, whose certificate from the 1980s issued under the UPDF was approved despite the UPDF not being formally established at the time. In contrast, Walukagga’s nomination was rejected.
“If EC didn’t have powers to verify Rwashande’s documents, when did they suddenly acquire powers to scrutinize Walukagga’s?” Rubongoya asked, highlighting what he termed a double standard.
He also criticized the Commission’s reliance on certification by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) without independent verification.
Rubongoya confirmed that NUP’s legal team is preparing a formal petition to the High Court.
“We know the people who are behind this. We are handling this legally and politically. The people of Busiro East will have the last laugh,” he said.
Walukagga appealed to his supporters to remain committed despite the setback, acknowledging the importance of academic qualifications for parliamentary candidacy.
“NUP cannot nominate someone without academic qualifications. I personally could not have stood from a councillor to a Member of Parliament otherwise,” he noted.
The dispute underscores ongoing tensions between opposition parties and the Electoral Commission as nominations for the upcoming elections continue.
