Kyadondo East Member of Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, has been okayed by High Court in Kampala as the rightful leader of the contested National Unity Platform Party (NUP).
Justice Musa Sekaana on Wednesday dismissed with costs slapped against the petitioners in the case over the ownership contestation of National Unity and Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP), which was recently renamed NUP and handed over to presidential aspirant, Mr. Kyagulanyi.
“The judicial review guidelines or rules equally provide for locus standi and this would have been the threshold before the applicants would seek to challenge actions of the party. It is an abuse of court process. This application is dismissed with costs to the respondents. So I order,” the ruling via email said in part.
Bobi Wine’s leadership of the party came under scrutiny when two of its founders; Mr Difas Basile and Mr Hassan Twala, petitioned the High Court in Kampala.
They claimed Mr Moses Nkonge Kibalama, the founding president of the party, changed its name and transferred its leadership to Bobi Wine without their knowledge and consent and were seeking deregistration of NUP.
Background
According to court documents, NURP was gazetted as a political party in Uganda on December 13, 2004 and issued a certificate of registration on December 28, 2004.
The duo petitioners contend that in 2019, without any color of right and in breach of the party constitution; Mr Kibalama and EC illegally changed its party name to NUP and on July 14, 2020 illegally handed over its political leadership to Bobi Wine.
They further aver that Mr Kibalama did not pass the requisite resolution to change the party’s name under the NURP party constitution of 2004.
