As the clock ticks to the October 16 deadline, only three presidential aspirants have so far submitted signatures supporting their candidature to the Electoral Commission for verification.
Speaking to this radio, Mr. Paul Bukenya, the acting spokesperson of the Electoral Commission said, the National Resistance Movement whose candidate is the incumbent President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Henry Tumukunde, an independent and the Ecological Party of Ugandans Charles Bbaale, are the only ones who have submitted signatures.
According to the Presidential Elections Act, a person qualifies to contest as a candidate if he/she is 18 years and above, his/her nomination is supported by 100 registered voters from two thirds, which make 98 of all districts of Uganda and has paid 20 million shillings among others.
During the verification, the Commission confirms whether, the names, personal identification number, physical address and signature of the voter supporting the nomination tally.
On October 2, the NRM submitted over five million signatures to the Electoral Commission supporting Museveni’s candidacy.
In a statement to the media today, Mr. Joel Sseyonyi, the spokesperson of the National Unity Platform said they are in advanced stages of collecting their own signatures supporting the candidacy of Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.
For the Alliance for National Transformation whose candidate is Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu, they are also in advanced stages of getting signatures, according to Sulaiman Kakaire, the deputy spokesperson.
FDC’s Amuiriat Oboi who was also elected unopposed last week as the party’s flag bearer told the press today at the party’s headquarters in Najjanankumbi that they will be submitting their own signatures on Wednesday October 14.
The Electoral Commission will be nominating Presidential Candidates on November 2-3. END
