A section of FDC supporters in Jinja have vowed to defy a decision by Jinja High Court to defer the electoral petition filed by the party flag-bearer for Jinja East Constituency Paul Mwiru to High Court Kampala.
This follows the release of the roadmap of election petition hearing by High Court Deputy Registrar Jesse Byaruhanga at Jinja High Court.
According to the roadmap, Mwiru’s election petition against the declared NRM flag bearer Nathan Samson Igeme Nabeta will be heard by Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe who will be sitting in Kampala.
This irked a section of FDC supporters who said they wanted the petition to be heard from Jinja High Court where it was filed since all the parties in the case were born and raised in Jinja.
Nasser Tigawalana, an FDC diehard, said the latest developments have caused unease in the party.
“Jinja High Court is in Jinja East Constituency and it’s where the elections were rigged from. Why do they hear local cases from distant places?” he wondered.
He stressed that during criminal sessions, Court sits where the crime was committed – wondering why this was not applicable to electoral petitions.
Impeccable sources at Jinja High Court intimated to ChimpReports that there was fear in security circles that the defiant FDC supporters wreak havoc in case Mwiru lost the court case.
While addressing reporters on Monday at Jinja High Court, Deputy Registrar Jesse Byaruhanga said they were overwhelmed by the number of election petitions filed in Jinja.
“When we hear all the election petitions from here, the lower courts will be affected since there are no enough court premises in Jinja. This implies that other petitions shall be heard from Iganga Magistrate’s court room by Lady Justice Margret Mutonyi and Kampala High Court by Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe,” he noted
It should be recalled that Jinja High Court received the highest number of election petitions totalling to 16 in number.
Some of the petitions which were heard by Justice Godfrey Namundi include Kintu Alex Brandon Vs Electoral Commission; Moses Walyomu (Kagoma County), Kiirya Wanzala Vs Nelson Lufafa (Butembe County) and Proscovia Musumba Vs Hajjat Rehema Watongola (Kamuli Municipality).
Others are Nakato Mary Annet Vs Electoral Commission; Babirye Veronica Kadogo (Buyende district woman MP seat); Simon Muyanga Lutaaya Vs Kenneth Lubogo and electoral commission (Bulamogi north constituency).
Justice Benjamin Kabiito also heard four petitions including Kawombe Lameka Vs Kafeero Ssekitoleko and Electoral Commission ( Nakifuma County); Kalazani Charles Vs Paul Musoke Ssebulime (Buikwe North); George Patrick Kasajja Vs Fredrick Ngobi Gume (Bulamogi North west) and Kabeera Richard Sunday Vs Gamutambuli Sam.
We have also leant that five petitions shall be heard by Lady Justice Margret Mutonyi sitting at Iganga.
They include Eng. Ibaale Daniel Joseph Vs Abdu Katuntu and Electoral Commission; Iddi Isabirye Vs Robert Ntende; Badogi Ismail Waguma Vs Bwiino Fred Kyakulaga; and Mudiobole Abedi Nasser Vs Peter Mugema.