Rubanda-Former Rubanda District LC5 Chairperson, Hon. Jogo Kenneth Biryabarema, has declared his intention to petition the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Tribunal, challenging the results of the recently concluded NRM party primaries for the Rubanda East County parliamentary seat.Hon. Jogo, who lost to the incumbent State Minister for Finance and General Duties, Hon. Henry Musasizi, strongly rejected the outcome, alleging widespread electoral malpractice and irregularities.
Speaking to journalists on Monday at Kigezi Gardens in Makanga, Kabale Municipality, Jogo accused the electoral officials and security apparatus of colluding to manipulate the results in favor of Musasizi.
He cited several issues, including the deletion of voters from the register, militarization of the electoral process, voter bribery, and acts of violence which he termed “electoral crimes.”“The election was neither free nor fair,” Jogo stated.
“In areas where I had overwhelming support, the presence of security personnel instilled fear among voters. There were also cases where voters were openly bribed to vote for my opponent.”
He further alleged that the voter register had been tampered with, disenfranchising many of his known supporters.
Jogo has since called on the NRM Tribunal to take urgent action by nullifying the results, and is seeking either a fresh election or a comprehensive vote recount as a path toward restoring fairness and transparency.“We have gathered sufficient evidence to support our petition, and we believe justice will prevail,” he added.
As of press time, the NRM Electoral Commission had not yet issued a formal response to the allegations.Hon. Musasizi, who was declared the winner, has also not publicly commented on the petition threat.
The dispute sets the stage for what could be a protracted post-primary legal battle within the ruling party, as tensions continue to simmer in Rubanda East.
