Kampala, Uganda: The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission Chairperson, Dr Tanga Odoi, was forced to prematurely suspend elections for the party’s Entrepreneurs League following explosive allegations of bribery, vote buying, and the alleged ferrying of delegates out of the country to frustrate opponents.
The hotly contested race between tycoons Hassan Basajjabalaba and Ceasar Augustus Mulenga had barely taken off on Monday evening at Kololo when chaos erupted between rival camps, forcing Dr Odoi to call off the exercise.
Mulenga, who was widely tipped to win the race against Basajjabalaba, would later join four other candidates; Mukesh Shukla Babubhai, Edison Ruyondo, Philip Kakuru, and Sanjay Tanna, to sign a joint petition, in which they demanded suspension of the elections until sanity is restored.
The latter had over the weekend announced his withdrawal, citing what he described as a toxic environment marred by bribery and irregularities. He accused Basajjabalaba’s camp of allegedly offering money and flying delegates to Nairobi on fully paid trips to keep them away from rival campaigns.
“We realized that many delegates who were supposed to vote for us were missing from their constituencies. Some were herded out of the country and others locked up in hotels. To avoid tearing apart the party, I have chosen to step aside,” Tanna told reporters.
His exit followed that of incumbent league chairperson, Mbarara City North MP Mwesigwa Rukaari, who last week opted out of the race to focus on his parliamentary seat as an independent candidate.
Sources inside the ruling party revealed that both camps had been accused of dishing out cash, with some delegates allegedly ferried to Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda in a bid to tilt the outcome.
The development comes against the backdrop of an explosive Saturday meeting with the NRM NEC at State House Entebbe, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in his capacity as National Chairman, strongly warned against corruption, voter bribery, and election malpractice.
“Money is poison. When leaders are elected through bribery or cheating, they become unaccountable to the people. That is what caused wars in the past, and we cannot allow it to happen again,” Museveni cautioned, stressing that both the party and government would prosecute perpetrators of electoral malpractice.
By Press time on Monday evening, Dr Tanga had yet to announce the outcome of a special CEC meeting convened by President Museveni at State House Nakasero to deliberate on the suspended election, nor was the timeframe for when the election would be held, let alone the fate of the accused candidate.
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