KAMPALA – The hearing of an application in which Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, seeks to formally withdraw his election petition from the Supreme Court has been adjourned again.
Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo adjourned the hearing to Friday at 9am to give time to Kyagulanyi’s lawyers to renew their practicing certificates which expired.
This was after Mr Kyagulanyi’s lead lawyer in the petition, Mr Medard Sseggona, told court that his practicing certificate and those of his team expired, and the issuance of new ones had been delayed.
“We give you up to 5pm today to finish with your practicing certificate with the Chief Registrar. In case the process is long, you can be given a temporary practicing certificate which expires on March 18,” Justice Owiny-Dollo said.
The Chief Justice last week postponed the hearing of the application, saying the request should first go to the noticeboard and be gazetted. According to Justice Owiny-Dollo, the withdrawal must first be put on the Judiciary notice board and then formally published in the Uganda Gazette before it can be heard.
In his application to support the withdrawal of the case, Mr Kyagulanyi argues that several factors were at play.
“The petitioner’s decision to withdraw the petition has been influenced by the foregoing factors and not by any corrupt bargain or consideration from respondents or any other person,” reads part of the grounds for his withdrawal.
He added that organs of the state like Uganda Police Force and National Identification Registrations of Persons Authority are being used by the respondents to investigate and infringe on the privacy of his witnesses.
Bobi Wine further reveals the procedural rule governing President Election Petitions have been applied to disadvantage him and his petition in that his application for amendment of pleadings was disallowed thus suffocating major grounds from being incorporated into the petition.
