By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Mawogola North Parliamentary candidate Godfrey Aine Kaguta aka Sodo has dragged the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to court challenging its decision to deny him the party flag despite his victory in the primary elections.
In the case filed on November, 25 at the Kampala High Court’s Civil Division, Sodo, who is President Yoweri Museveni’s younger brother asked the court to cancel the decision of the NRM tribunal which saw him being denied the NRM flag thus failure to announce him as the official candidate for Mawogola North parliamentary seat.
READ ALSO: Confirmed: Sodo Kaguta, Kutesa’s Daughter Musherure To Face Off Again As Independents
According to Sodo, the NRM tribunal recommended the matter to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the NRM which subsequently withdrew the NRM flag from Aine and currently Mawogola North Constituency does not have an NRM flag bearer hence nomination of the two candidates by the Electoral Commission as independents.
However, when the case came up for hearing on Tuesday before Justice Musa Ssekaana, Shartsi Kutesa through her lawyer David Mpanga asked to be added as a respondent to the case claiming that she holds the same position with the NRM electoral body and Central Executive Committee that neither she nor Sodo won the highly contested Mawogola North NRM primaries.
Therefore, this prompted High court Judge justice Ssekaana to set Monday next week to decide on whether or not to allow Musherure Shartsi Kutesa, one of the candidates for the Mawogola North constituency parliamentary seat to join an application filed by her rival Sodo Aine Kaguta against his party NRM.
Shartsi, who seeks to replace her father and Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kahamba Kutesa, disputed the outcome of the NRM primaries where she lost to President Museveni’s younger brother, Kaguta on September 30th, 2020. The Sembabule NRM District Returning Officer, William Katokozi, declared Sodo winner with 17,343 votes followed by Musherure with 16,104 votes.
It’s worth noting that Shartsi contested the results and accordingly petitioned the party elections tribunal arguing that the elections were marred by gross irregularities. The tribunal chaired by Enoch Barata failed to take a final decision on the petition and instead forwarded the matter to the CEC for guidance, which wasn’t provided.
The CEC referred the matter to the party Vice-Chairperson, Al-Hajj Moses Kigongo who allowed the two candidates to run as independents but Sodo is still exploring his chances to be announced as the NRM candidate while challenging the decision of CEC to cancel his victory and delaying its decision on his appeal which he states was given after the gazetted nomination dates for parliamentary elections by the Independent Electoral Commission.
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