NUP faces surge of petitions over irregularities in Local Government vetting process

The National Unity Platform (NUP) has been flooded with petitions from aspiring candidates, many of whom are raising concerns about the recent vetting process for local government flag bearers. The complaints largely focus on claims of bribery, incompetence, mismatched candidate information, and incorrect area allocations.

In response to these grievances, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya announced on Friday the formation of a dedicated team to handle and review the petitions. This task force includes Dr. Moses Kanabi, who heads the Organizing Committee; Jonathan Elotu, Head of Legal Affairs; his deputy Jacqueline Namata; and party lawyer Marvin Sasi. The team operates under the oversight of Deputy Secretary General Aisha Kabanda.

This move follows the publication of the official list of candidates who were successfully vetted to represent the party in the upcoming local government elections.

However, a number of aspirants who were left out of the final list have alleged irregularities in the process. Some claim that certain individuals obtained the party ticket through bribery despite lacking strong grassroot support.

Since Saturday, these discontented aspirants have been delivering formal petitions to the party headquarters, requesting a fresh vetting process before the Electoral Commission’s nomination deadline on Wednesday.

In addition to these complaints, some of the successful candidates have reported technical issues, such as errors in their names or mismatches in the areas they were vetted for. They are seeking to correct these issues to avoid disqualification during the nomination process.

Speaking to journalists at the party headquarters, Rubongoya noted that the party has also received a number of petitions highlighting data inaccuracies, in addition to the vetting grievances.

“For instance, in some petitions, we have individuals who have provided evidence that certain candidates who were given tickets had defected to NRM, fearing they wouldn’t secure the tickets. Such petitions are being given attention, and those individuals will be removed from our database,” Rubongoya said.

He further attributed the errors to recent changes made by the Electoral Commission, such as alterations in polling stations and area demarcations, which disrupted the party’s data systems.

“Some aspirants contested in one area but found themselves listed in another, while others had discrepancies with their names,” Rubongoya noted. “Our initial plan was significantly impacted by the Electoral Commission’s recent demarcation changes, particularly in Kampala, where many contesting areas were consolidated or altered. As a result, some individuals were vetted for areas that no longer exist.”

Source: urn

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