Veteran Journalist Andrew Mwenda said he will be challenging the nomination of Robert Kyagulanyi as the flag-bearer for the National Unity Platform Party (NUP) in the upcoming 2021 elections.
Mwenda claims Kyagulanyi’s nomination is an outcome of a “rigged” and undemocratic process having been denied participation in the election.
Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine was on Friday nominated unopposed as presidential flag bearer for his party to contest for president of Uganda in the forthcoming 2021 elections.
According to the party’s electoral commission, Kyagulanyi was the only person who expressed interest in the position.
However, Mwenda says he was not informed about the deadline for closing nominations for NUP flag-bearer, yet he was still filling the papers to run for the party position.
“I have just been informed that Bobi Wine was selected “unopposed” as NUP presidential flag bearer! NUP knew that I had picked forms which I was filling and did not inform me of the “deadline”! This is a rigged and anti democratic process! I am going to challenge it!” Mwenda posted on his social media account.
Last month, Andrew Mwenda subscribed as a member of the newly created political formation NUP and immediately announced he was going to challenge Bobi Wine for the party card in the next election. He also picked forms of expression of interest in the position claiming he wants to beat Kyagulanyi in an internal election within NUP.
Earlier, there were reports that the nomination forms given to Andrew Mwenda were not for the position of the party flag-bearer but for local council aspirants with NUP supporters claiming they had outsmarted him.
This however was disproved when Mwenda made the papers public by posting copies of filled nomination forms on his social media page.
If Mwenda goes ahead to challenge Bobi’s nomination in courts of law, he will have joined a list of individuals who have already expressed interest to block Bobi’s name on the 2021 ballot.
On Friday, a city lawyer, Male Mabiriizi also released copies of notice he submitted to the Electoral Commission requesting for Bobi’s academic forms which he claims have disparities in relation to his actual age.
Male claims the papers provide him with a legal basis to challenge Kyagulanyi’s candidature on account of questionable integrity.