KAMPALA – Lawyers representing Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, have said they are amending their presidential election petition to further strengthen their case against the victory of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
The lawyers led by Medard Lubega Sseggona on Tuesday, 09 February 2021 told the nine-member panel of Supreme Court Justices led by Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo that the amendment is seeking to add onto the illegalities that were committed by the Electoral Commission, Museveni and the Attorney General during the just concluded electoral process.
According to Sseggona, after Kyagulanyi’s house arrest, he came across a number of illegalities including voter bribery by Museveni that he wants to bring to the attention of court for investigations.
He argued that his client was illegally placed under house arrest yet he was legally mandated to file his petition within fifteen days after the announcement of the January 14th presidential election results.
He told the Supreme Court that the ten days his client spent under house arrest consumed most of his time and asked the court to allow him to amend the petition seeking to overturn Museveni’s victory if justice is to prevail because this is the only opportunity the president can be sued.
Museveni’s lawyers led by Ebert Byenkya asked the court to dismiss Kyagulanyi’s application to amend the petition saying the law governing presidential election petitions does not allow for such. He said the law only allows for the filing of the petition, serving the petition within two days, filing answers to the petition within three days, asking for particulars if any and final hearing.
He emphasized that there is no allowance for amendment of the presidential petition as each step has a fixed schedule. Byenkya also said the role of the Justices is not to investigate the matters as claimed by Kyagulanyi’s lawyers but to deliver judgment and asked them not to take the court on a fishing voyage.
Bobi Wine on Sunday, February 7, 2021 added bribery to his litany of accusations against Yoweri Museveni in the election petition.
According to the amended petition filed on Sunday, February 7, 2021, Bobi Wine said Museveni, contrary to the Presidential Elections Act, misused the Emyooga initiative to bribe voters with money or material rewards.
Bobi Wine cited an incident when Museveni gave UGX300,000 each to members of 70,626 village local council countrywide.
He adds that Museveni also bribed artiste Ronald Mayinja, a former NUP member, and Andrew Mukasa Alfonse, alias Bajjo, a music promoter, gifts such as money and cars.
The hearing of the submissions is still ongoing, with the EC and Museveni’s lawyers set to file their petition.
