BREAKING: Jacqueline Mbabazi nullified as NRM flag bearer for older persons in western Uganda…

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Election Disputes Tribunal has annulled the victory of Jacqueline Mbabazi, wife of former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, as the party’s flag bearer for the Older Persons MP seat in the Western Region.

The three-member panel, chaired by John Musiime, ruled that the August internal election was severely compromised by widespread irregularities, including a significant issue of over-voting, and ordered a fresh poll to be held within 14 days.

Mbabazi had been declared the winner with a slim seven-vote margin. However, her challenger, Patrick Kyamukate Mutabwire, successfully petitioned the tribunal, presenting evidence of an inflated voter registry.

The tribunal’s review confirmed critical flaws, noting that the Declaration of Results recorded $\text{430}$ ballots cast against a register of only $\text{364}$ eligible voters, resulting in a $\text{66}$-vote excess. Furthermore, the verified register contained $\text{28}$ duplicate entries, $\text{5}$ illegal voter replacements, and even $\text{3}$ deceased persons listed as having voted.

The ruling stated that these irregularities “fatally compromised the election and substantially affected the result,” making Mbabazi’s declaration as flag bearer unsustainable. The panel highlighted that the new evidence was uncontested, as neither Mbabazi nor the NRM Electoral Commission filed responses to the claims.

While the petitioner, Mutabwire, had sought to be declared the winner after the deduction of ineligible votes, the tribunal declined, ruling that it was impossible to accurately track and allocate all the disputed ballots. The NRM Electoral Commission has therefore been tasked with conducting a new election in strict compliance with party regulations.