Court dismisses NRM member's challenge to Among, Tayebwa endorsements

An attempt by an NRM member to legally challenge the party’s endorsement of Anita Among and Thomas Tayebwa for the top parliamentary leadership roles has been unsuccessful. Jack Ali Nsubuga, an aggrieved National Resistance Movement member, had filed an application seeking to quash the NRM Central Executive Committee’s (CEC) decision to back Among for Speaker and Tayebwa for Deputy Speaker.

In a ruling delivered electronically, Civil Division judge Collins Acellam upheld preliminary objections raised by the respondents and dismissed the application. Nsubuga had argued that the endorsement process, conducted during a CEC meeting, violated principles of internal democracy and fairness, denying other eligible members a chance to express interest.

However, the court found that Nsubuga lacked the necessary legal standing to bring the case on behalf of others and had not exhausted internal party dispute resolution mechanisms. Judge Acellam emphasized that courts should not prematurely interfere in internal political party affairs when internal remedies exist.

The court stated that the endorsement of candidates for these key positions falls within the constitutional mandate of the NRM’s CEC, according to the party’s Parliamentary Caucus Rules of Procedure. The judge concluded that courts are guardians of legality, not supervisors of political strategy or internal caucus preferences.

While the application was dismissed, the judge declined to award costs, noting that the case touched upon important questions regarding constitutional governance and internal political democracy, thus being a matter of public interest.

Source: https://observer.ug/news/court-dismisses-case-challenging-nrm-endorsement-of-among-tayebwa