Ssembogga Roy, the second runner up in the just concluded Makerere University guild presidential elections for the 2016/2017 guild president has appealed to the President and G.R.C. Election Petition Tribunal against the results announced by Makerere’s electoral commission.
Roy’s petition cites a number of irregularities at the College of Education were over 1700 votes were cast in favor of Bazil Mwotta, the guild President elect, while Roy got less than 70 votes. It is alleged that 715 of the votes declared were rigged as there are no used ballot booklets from which those ballot papers were gotten.
The election petition tribunal is established under Art. 8 (a) of the old guild Constitution, with powers to hear any petition challenging the election of any candidate as a Guild Representative Council or guild president.
The petition tribunal is composed of eight judges, namely, the Guild Advisor, the [University] Legal Advisor, the Speaker, the two Chaplains and Imam, one hall Chairperson appointed by the Hall Chairpersons, and a member of the University Council but in any case, a quorum of five judges can dispose of a petition.
Under Articles 8 (f), (g) and (h), hearing of the petition is closed to the public; the petitioner is barred from having any legal representation in the course of the proceedings; and the tribunal’s ruling is final, respectively.
Whether or not the tribunal’s verdict is subject to an appeal to the High Court is another discussion altogether.
The tribunal is slated to sit and hear the petition on Thursday 18th March at 10:00a.m. in the university Council room. It is duty-bound to give a ruling within twenty-four hours after the hearing.
Efforts to get a comment from Roy were futile.
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