Ssekikubo’s petition against Rwashande dismissed.

Ssekikubo has officially lost his bid to reclaim the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket after the party’s Elections Disputes Tribunal dismissed his petition against the election of retired Brig. Ssekikubo, along with former minister for Animal Husbandry Joy Kafura Kabasti, had jointly petitioned the tribunal, challenging Rwashande’s victory in the party primaries. The petitioners alleged that the election was marred by “grave irregularities,” including violence, voter intimidation, military interference, and result manipulation. Ssekikubo specifically accused Rwashande of deploying the military to orchestrate violence, citing an incident where a soldier allegedly shot and killed one of his supporters and injured several others days before the election. He also pointed to a deliberate communication blackout on polling day, which he attributed to the targeted vandalism of telecom masts, an act he believes could only have been carried out with state resources. Kabasti added that voters were ferried in from Kampala, and vote tallies from their strongholds were either inflated or not counted at all. She also claimed their polling agents and supporters were denied access to polling stations or violently dispersed. Both petitioners had asked the tribunal to nullify the results and declare Ssekikubo the winner. However, the tribunal, chaired by John Musiime, dismissed the petition, stating that the complainants failed to prove their allegations to the required standard. The ruling noted that while some irregularities may have occurred, they were not substantial enough to have affected the overall result. The tribunal also pointed out a contradiction in Ssekikubo’s request to be declared the winner of an election he himself described as being marred by “pervasive irregularities, illegalities, and violence.” This, the tribunal said, further weakened the grounds of his petition. The tribunal denied the petitioners all remedies they sought and upheld the election of Rwashande as the official flag bearer for Lwemiyaga County. Following the ruling, Rwashande called upon Ssekikubo to accept the defeat and work toward the unity of the constituency and the NRM. This is not the first time Ssekikubo has challenged Rwashande. He previously tried, and failed, to block Rwashande’s nomination on grounds that he lacked the required academic qualifications.