Summary:
Todwong claimed that NRM supporters faced intimidation and physical attacks, preventing them from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
KAMPALA: The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Central Executive Committee (CEC) has rejected the Kawempe North by-election results announced on Friday morning.
In a statement, NRM Secretary General Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong said the party’s top leadership, chaired by H.E. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, convened on Friday and resolved to challenge the results in court. The ruling party cited election irregularities, including violence, voter intimidation, and alleged rigging.
Todwong claimed that NRM supporters faced intimidation and physical attacks, preventing them from exercising their constitutional right to vote. He stated that the party is compiling data on its supporters who were allegedly brutalized by opponents.
“Many of our supporters, especially women and the elderly, were intimidated and discouraged from voting, effectively disenfranchising them,” he said.
He also accused opposition elements of provoking security personnel, leading to incidents where security forces overreacted and, in some cases, used excessive force, resulting in voter arrests. He noted that members of the media were also affected by the clashes.
Full Statement from NRM Central Executive Committee:
On Thursday, March 13, the Independent Electoral Commission conducted the Kawempe North by-election in Kampala Capital City. Ten candidates, including the NRM flag bearer, Ms. Faridah Nambi Kigongo, were nominated.
Our initial assessment of the election process reveals that it was marred by violence, voter intimidation, and allegations of rigging. Despite these irregularities, the Independent Electoral Commission declared the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate the winner with 17,764 votes, while the NRM candidate garnered 8,593 votes.
In response, the NRM Central Executive Committee, chaired by H.E. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has outrightly rejected the results and will legally challenge them.
As mentioned earlier, many NRM supporters were subjected to violence, hindering them from voting freely. The party is currently compiling statistics on those who were affected.
A significant number of our supporters, particularly women and the elderly, were intimidated into staying away from polling stations, denying them their democratic rights.
Security personnel, tasked with maintaining peace during the elections, were deliberately provoked by opposition elements, leading to overreactions and, in some instances, the excessive use of force against voters. Unfortunately, journalists covering the election were also caught up in these incidents.
The NRM extends its apologies to all Ugandans affected by this excessive use of force. The government is actively investigating the security response, including injuries sustained by journalists, and those responsible will face consequences.
Additionally, there were allegations of electoral malpractices involving both opposition supporters and some NRM members, including ballot stuffing and rigging. These irregularities led the Independent Electoral Commission to nullify results from multiple polling stations, affecting more than 50,000 votes, which were not included in the final tally.
The canceled polling stations accounted for over 62% of the expected votes. As a result, the Electoral Commission declared a winner based on less than 40% of the total votes, significantly undermining the democratic process in Kawempe North. This level of disenfranchisement is unacceptable and reminiscent of the injustices that led the NRM to take up arms in 1980.
We will not stand by and allow such a violation of democratic rights. Therefore, we will legally challenge the election results as declared by the Independent Electoral Commission.
Thank you.
Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong Awany
NRM Secretary General
The Source Reports.
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