Ssebbaale accused Gasheegu of rigging their party election and he filed a petition at the NRM set tribunal which released the ruling a bit late but in the petitioners’ favour.
Drama ensued at Mukono Electoral Commission offices on Friday as the nomination of the LC5 and Mayoral aspiring candidates were close to conclusion following the turn-up of a second National Resistance Movement (NRM) party endorsed candidate for the same electoral position which had been already occupied by another fully endorsed candidate.
Erisa Ssebbaale, the former Nama sub-county chairperson is the second NRM endorsed candidate who showed up aspiring for the position of the direct councillor representing Nama sub-county which had already been taken up by Muramira Gashegu also on the NRM card.
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Mukono district Electoral Commission (EC) Returning Officer, Mark Muganzi Mayanja despite Ssebbaale’s presentation of his undisputed party’s endorsement for the position, he categorically told him that he only had an alternative of standing on an independent ticket given the fact that the NRM slot had been already filled up on that position.
“On Wednesday as we had just started the exercise, I received Muramira Gashegu with an NRM endorsement and I fully nominated him, I am therefore tied up in the scenario when again another candidate is also endorsed by the same party in the same position,” Muganzi said.
He however promised to forward the matter to the commission’s legal department which will advise accordingly.
Given the fact that the nomination time was soon coming to an end, Ssebbaale heeded to Muganzi’s advice and he got nominated on an independent slot with a ball as his symbol.
How the saga started?
Ssebbaale accused Gasheegu of rigging their party election and he filed a petition at the NRM set tribunal which released the ruling a bit late but in the petitioners’ favour.
Unfortunately, the Mukono district NRM office and Gashegu who was the respondent claimed that they did not receive any copy of the ruling, hence Gasheegu’s endorsement.
After learning about Gashegu’s early nomination on the first day of the exercise, Ssebbaale ran back to the secretariat for a redress, though still the response seemed to have been secured late.
He therefore received the endorsement and matched straight to the EC offices in Mukono, only to be bounced on the matter of fact that the NRM card had already been taken up.
When asked about the petition’s ruling on Wednesday after his nomination, Gashegu said that he had not received any ruling and that he had been fully endorsed to run on the party ticket.
Ssebbaale, a professional teacher was the Nama sub-county chairperson from 2016 to 2021 when he lost the seat in the party primaries to Johnbosco Isabirye.