Court declares Museveni validly elected, dismisses petition
The Uganda Chief Justice has declared that President Yoweri Museveni was duly elected and dismissed poll loser Amama Mbabazi's petition.
The supreme Court ruled that Mr Museveni was validly elected.
It said that the evidence submitted by Mr Mbabazi’s lawyers was not substantial to overturn the election results.
Presided over by Chief Justice Bart Katureebe, the nine-member bench started by shredding arguments made by Mr Mbabazi’s lawyers that Mr Museveni had been illegally nominated by the electoral commission without seeking his party’s approval.
Mr Museveni, who was nominated by the party under a contested sole candidature, was upheld as legal by the judges who said that no law had been broken during his nomination.
Mr Mbabazi’s legal team would, in the ensuing judgment, face the wrath of the court for lacking evidence as the court threw out 23 of their 27 allegations for lack of sufficient evidence.
However, his lawyers have complained that a break-in at their offices — just a day before submitting evidence to the court by yet to be identified people — had cost them many of the affidavits they had planned to file.
The judges did not spare the electoral body as well, stating that there were glaring inefficiencies and incompetence in their delivery of materials to polling stations and availing of polling information to agents of the Opposition.
They also criticized the state broadcaster for not availing balanced airtime to all candidates in the presidential race.
The decision, delivered shortly before midday, clears the legal stumbling block that had been placed on the swearing in of Museveni for his fifth term that will see him rule Uganda for 35 years.
Mbabazi, who addressed the press, said that his legal team will study the petition and advice on a way forward.
However, the Ugandan law provides no further legal remedy beyond the Supreme Court.
Uganda’s Supreme Court has upheld election victories for Mr Museveni in 2001, 2006 and now 2016.
