Justice Issa Serukuma has dismissed an election petition filed by
Rogers Ngiya against the Bukooli Central MP, Solomon Silwany.
Ngiya, a voter from Bukooli central constituency, in Bugiri
district says that the elections were marred with vote-rigging and voter
bribery.
Silwany garnered 24,244 votes, to win the election against Forum
for Democratic Change-FDC's Wafula Oguttu, who got 12,555 votes.
Ngiya argued that acts of election malpractice affected the final
results declared by the Electoral Commission. He demanded that the court annuls
the election.
However, while delivering the ruling, Serukuma stated that the
petition was not authentic on grounds that, in all his affidavits, Ngiya failed
to prove to the court that, he was a registered voter.
He said that Ngiya must attach a register or their voter numbers,
which evidence authenticates them as lawful voters before filing a petition in
areas where they did not contest for, but the petitioner in this case only
attached a national identity card which is no proof at all,” he says.
Justice Serukuma further stated that Ngiya failed to raise
the required number of 500 registered voters in support of the petition.
“Election petitions are matters of both state and public interest
therefore, litigants should be serious enough to avail at least a sizeable
number of 500 voters in support of the petition but, the petitioner failed to do
this. Out of the 534 affidavits filed before the court, 40 of these neither
lacked signature nor thumbprints, the rest lacked voter numbers, sex, age and
were never certified by the commissioner of oaths,” he says.
Silwany’s lawyer, Julius Galisonga welcomes the court decision,
stressing that Ngiya failed to adduce evidence confirming that, all the
affidavits filed before the court were sworn by registered voters.
//cue in: “the court has dismissed…
Cue out…dismissed the petition,”.
Silwany says that voters and all leaders at large should foster processes
of ensuring unity and development, rather than engaging themselves in endless
interpersonal battles.
//cue in: “the petition has…
Cue out…demand the costs,”.
Ngiya expressed dissatisfaction over the ruling of the
court. He said that he will appeal against this court decision.
