NRM Tribunal urged to dismiss Hudu Hussein’s petition over primary election

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Election Disputes Tribunal has received a formal request to dismiss a petition by Hudu Hussein, who lost the party’s primary race for Member of Parliament in Northern City Division, Mbale City.

Hudu Hussein, represented by Origo Advocates, asked the Tribunal to nullify the results that declared Umar Nangoli as the NRM flag bearer, citing electoral malpractice, violence, and irregularities during the July 17, 2025 primaries.

In his sworn affidavit, Hussein accused Nangoli and NRM Electoral Commission officials of manipulating results, especially at Kinyoli A and B polling stations. Hussein, who polled 21,575 votes, lost to Nangoli by a margin of 591 votes. He claimed the narrow defeat resulted from systematic forgery and falsification of results.

He said Nangoli and his agents campaigned on polling day at Kinyoli A, intimidated voters, and violently disrupted his supporters. Hussein alleged that polling officials abandoned the electoral process and fraudulently allocated 500 votes to Nangoli while giving him zero out of 525 cast.

At Kinyoli B, Hussein claimed a similar scenario played out. According to him, no counting took place, and officials, together with Nangoli’s team, privately assigned votes—661 for Nangoli and only 42 for him. He said these actions violated the Parliamentary Elections Act, the NRM Constitution, and the party’s 2025 election regulations. He also accused officials of ignoring objections from his agents and claimed they signed the Declaration of Results (DR) Forms under duress. Hussein attached video, audio recordings, and documents on a flash drive to support his claims, insisting the irregularities significantly influenced the outcome.

However, Nangoli, through Shoebill Advocates, rejected the accusations. He defended the election as free, fair, and transparent, and asked the Tribunal to throw out the petition. He admitted contesting with Hussein and acknowledged the vote tally but denied any wrongdoing.

Nangoli counter-accused Hussein and one of his agents, Mahoota LC1 Chairperson Jonathan Malunda, of inciting violence. He presented a police report claiming Malunda assaulted one of his agents at Mahoota polling station.

He also challenged Hussein’s claims at Kinyoli B, arguing that Hussein didn’t have a polling agent at the station. Isaac Were, the village registrar at Kinyoli B, supported this in a sworn affidavit. Were explained that voters lined up behind candidates and that polling officials counted votes in the presence of agents—although Hussein had none.

Were confirmed the final tally at Kinyoli B: 500 votes for Nangoli, 25 for Seth Wambende, and zero for both Hussein and Ismail Walunjo. He said they recorded the results accurately and agents signed the DR forms.

Nangoli called Hussein’s petition politically motivated and baseless. He maintained that his win reflects the will of voters in Northern City Division.

Lawyer John Musiime, who chairs the Tribunal, will hear the case on August 1st, 2025. It is among 381 petitions the Tribunal received following the recently concluded party elections.

Meanwhile, NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi has unveiled the roadmap for the party’s 2025 Local Government primaries.

He announced that aspiring candidates can pick Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms between July 28 and August 4, 2025. The nomination fees range from Shs20,000 to Shs200,000 depending on the post.

The nomination period will run from August 5 to August 9. During this time, candidates for positions in Sub-counties, Town Councils, Municipal Divisions, and City Divisions will submit their credentials.

Campaigns will take place from August 10 to August 13, giving candidates time to share their manifestos and meet voters. Dr. Odoi urged communities to avoid conflict and focus on issue-based campaigns.

Voters will head to the polls on August 14 to elect Local Government Councils and Special Interest Group (SIG) Councillors at Sub-county, Town Council, and Municipal Division levels. The elections will end on August 16 with the selection of Local Government Councillors for Municipal and City Divisions.