NRM supporter asks court to stop delegates’ meeting BY DERRICK KIYONGA An NRM supporter has petitioned the High court seeking to block the party’s national delegates’ conference, which is slated for December 15, 2014. In his application filed at the court’s civil division yesterday, Daudi Ruhinda Maguru states that the delegates’ conference shouldn’t go ahead because the NRM has failed to comply with the consent judgment that its leaders signed before the then Principal Judge James Ogoola in 2010. The application, which was lodged by Rwakafuuzi and Company Advocates, lists the party’s chairman and secretary general as respondents. After trying to challenge party Chairman Yoweri Museveni in the NRM delegates’ conference before the 2011 elections only to be frustrated, Maguru went to court. On October 25, 2010, he and NRM entered a consent judgment before Justice Ogoola in which both parties agreed to put in place a committee of five people to settle the dispute over the party’s presidential flag bearer. Maguru says that they also agreed to put in place a competent and independent electoral commission, as well as convene an extraordinary national conference for purposes of electing the leadership of the party within 10 months after the general elections of 2011. Instead of implementing the judgment, Maguru says, NRM through Dennis Namara, the national youth chairman, sought to wriggle out of it by filing a counter application at the High court. However, Maguru says Justice Eldad Mwangusya dismissed the suit with costs and upheld the terms of the consent judgment. “Up-to-date the respondents have never implemented the terms of the judgment in spite of several reminders and as such this refusal constitutes a breach of the said judgment,” the suit partly reads. Maguru, a retired UPDF captain, states that the NRM chairman, vice chairpersons, national treasurer, secretary general and their deputies occupy those positions illegally. He argues that the current NRM leadership has no legal right to call the delegates’ conference without first implementing the terms of the consent judgment. “The respondents have no excuse whatsoever for the failure in implementing the terms of the judgment and as such their conduct amounts to contempt of court and abuse of court process,” Maguru says in his affidavit. According to Maguru, NRM is convening the delegate’s conference for purposes of amending the party constitution to give powers to the national chairman to handpick a secretary general at his sole discretion. He contends that the delegates’ conference intends to abolish the election of the NRM party presidential flag bearer which he says is an abrogation of the party’s constitution, the national constitution and breach of the rule of law and democratic principles. Maguru, a former ADC to Museveni’s brother, Gen Salim Saleh (Caleb Akandwanaho), states that if the delegates’ conference is not stopped, he and other NRM members shall suffer irreparable loss since it will be in flagrant breach of the terms of the consent judgment. “It is just and equitable that the application ought to be granted to enable the applicant, NRM party members and the nation to benefit from the terms of the judgment before the said delegates’ conference,” he contends. The case will be heard by Justice Lydia Mugambe on December 3, 2014. dkiyonga@gmail
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 05:37:33 +0000