The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has lined up at least 45 lawyers to defend the victory of President-elect Yoweri Kaguta Museveni should his election be challenged in the Supreme Court.
Speaking to Uganda Radio Network on the phone, the NRM Director for Legal Services, Enoch Barata, said the party was satisfied with what he described as a landslide victory by the incumbent president.
Asked about the party’s preparedness in the event of a legal challenge, Barata said he had not seen any grounds on which a petition could be based, insisting that the election was transparent, free, and fair.
Nevertheless, he noted that the party had taken precautionary measures and placed at least 45 lawyers on standby to defend Museveni’s victory should any petition be filed.
Barata also addressed concerns about the rising number of independent candidates, saying the issue should not be blamed on the NRM’s internal processes for selecting flag bearers.
By press time, the number of independent candidates had risen to more than 40, the majority of whom had participated in the NRM primaries but lost.
He explained that from the outset, there were individuals the party knew would run as independents, adding that this had nothing to do with flaws in the NRM process.
According to Barata, voter choices may have been influenced by differences in how campaigns were conducted during party primaries compared to general elections.
Barata emphasized that the NRM remains willing to work with all stakeholders and reiterated the party’s readiness to defend its victory should it be challenged in court.
President Museveni, who has been in power for 38 years, has previously had his election victories challenged in court. Past petitions have been filed by former presidential candidates, including Dr. Kizza Besigye, Amama Mbabazi, and Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, whose 2021 petition was later withdrawn.