Minister Tumwesigye unbothered about losing his parliamentary seat, more focused on the coming elections
The Constitutional Court in Kampala on Friday 27th, December 2019, nullified the election of 6 MPs including a Cabinet Minister Tumwesigye who lost his parliamentary seat on grounds that they contested for non-existent vacancies.
Now reacting to the matter, Minister Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, of Science, Technology and Innovation said that nullifying his election to Parliament is none of his business at this time because he’s more focussed and preparing for the coming 2021 general elections.
He said the Constitutional Court judgement was directed towards the Attorney General (AG) and the Electoral Commission (EC) but not the affected legislators.
Tumwesigye adds that his nullification is a challenge in his political career and challenges are human. However, he says he has no time for “negative energy” because he’s busy setting up his Constituency for the next elections.
“So, the lawyers can argue out if they want to appeal. But those are challenges that are on the planet. People face challenges if you don’t want challenges or don’t face any difficulties you go to fool’s paradise. But if you are on this planet, you get challenges but fire on,” Tu
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“Me I don’t have time for negative energy, I’m in my Constituency planning for the next elections. So the responsible people will start it out,” Tumwesigye added.
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Patrick Ocan, one of the victims said that Eddy Kwizera, the petitioner was luck enough to argue out his case successfully, but they will also argue and win the case.
Ocan says in 2015, Parliament approved six Municipalities, other Constituencies were approved but their elections were postponed due to budgetary limitations.
Ocan notes that the Constitutional Court did not hear from any of them about the petition. Nevertheless, Ocan says overturning their election gives them firm ground to petition the Supreme Court challenging the Constitutional Court ruling.
Asuman Basalirwa, MP Bugiri Municipality on Friday evening said that he will consider challenging the Constitutional Court judgement if at all EC and parliament does not react to the matter.
The petition was filed in 2018, by a concerned citizen Eddy Kwizera, former Bufumbira East legislator against the Attorney General and the Electoral Commission.
The affected MPs, in this case, are from the newly established municipalities of Bugiri, Apac, Nebbi, Kotido, Sheema and Ibanda.
Notably among these includes; Asuman Basalirwa of Bugiri, Jeema Party, Elioda Tumwesigye of Sheema, NRM Party, Abraham Lokii of Kotido, NRM Party, Tarsis Rwaburindore of Ibanda, NRM Party, Hashim Sulaiman of Nebbi, NRM Party and Patrick Ochan of Apac, UPC Party.
In the 84 paged document, the five justices that include; the Deputy Chief Justice, Alfonse Owiny Dolo, Keneth Kakuru, Cheborion Barishaki, Fredrick Ntende and Christopher Madrama unanimously agreed with the petitioner that the election of the six members of Parliament before the dissolution of the current Parliament, was null and void.
The justices reasoned that the election of the six MPs is not elections for Members of Parliament position as the Constitution states, because they are not general elections or by-elections.
Adding that the seats contested for had no vacancies and they were already occupied by elected MPs in the general elections of 2016.
In their argument, EC would have waited for 2021 general elections to have representatives for the new municipalities created in 2018.
The judgement continued to state that the MPs offered themselves to contest for Constituencies whose administrative units, villages have not yet been demarcated by the Electoral Commission as the Constitution states.
In Uganda’s Constitution, such Constituencies created by the division of others takes effect in the next general elections.
