EC rejects Besigye nomination papers

EC secretary Sam Rwakoojo (second-left) and other staff are joined by the public at the prayers for peaceful elections next year By Milton Olupot THE Electoral Commission has rejected nomination signatures from 62 districts presented by Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). A presidential aspirant must submit 100 signatures of supporters from each of at least 75 of the 112 districts. If Besigye fails to get the required signatures, he will not be nominated. The exercise is slated for October 25 and 26 at Mandela Stadium between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Besigye is also the joint flag-bearer of the Inter-Party Cooperation which brings together the FDC, Conservative Party, Justice Forum (Jeema), the Social Democrats Party and a pressure group, Suubi 2011, headed by former Buganda premier Joseph Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere. Commission spokesperson Willy Ochola said only signatures from 32 districts had been approved for Besigye. “Dr. Kizza Besigye has only got signatures from 32 districts out of the number he submitted and 62 are lacking figures,” he said. The nomination forms, he noted, bore the signatures of unregistered voters or duplicate ones. “We have asked him to sort out the problem. He has asked to be nominated on Monday, October 25, so he has up to then to sort out the problem,” Ochola said. Ochola further said in Bukedea district, Besigye submitted 100 signatures but only 72 were valid. In Kasese, he submitted 203 signatures of which 35 were valid. In Abim, Alebtong, Amuria, Agago, Apac and Bukwo, Besigye also did not have the numbers, Ochola added. Besigye has twice lost to Museveni in the past. Ochola said Olive Beti Kamya of the Uganda Federal Alliance had only signatures from 33 districts approved, while Jaberi Bidandi Ssali of the People’s Progressive Party qualified in just 24 districts. He said the commission was still scrutinising the signatures submitted by the Uganda People’s Congress flag-bearer Olara Otunnu and President Yoweri Museveni of the NRM. By last evening, 35 districts had been verified for Otunnu and 20 for Museveni. Ochola said they had advised Kamya and Bidandi Ssali to go back to the voters and iron out the discrepancies before the nomination dates. Commission chairman Badru Kiggundu at the beginning of the month asked the candidates to hand in nomination forms by October 11 to allow the commission appropriate time to verify the signatures. “The commission shall subject the nomination papers to thorough scrutiny to ensure compliance with the law and to establish the authenticity of the names, signatures and numbers of the supporters,” he said. The presidential candidates are also required to hand in three passport-size photos and certified copies of their academic papers. The candidates are also required to pay sh8m nomination fees. A total of 56 aspirants have picked nomination forms for the presidency. Source: New Vision online,  Thursday, 21st October, 2010