The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has lined up at least 45 lawyers to defend President-elect Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s victory should it be legally challenged in the Supreme Court.
Museveni, the NRM candidate, defeated seven contenders in the recent election, securing 71.6 percent of the vote, while his closest rival, National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, garnered 24.5 percent.
According to Uganda Radio Network (URN), NRM Director for Legal Services Enoch Barata described the outcome as a “landslide victory” and said the party had seen no grounds for any legal petition, insisting that the election was free, fair, and transparent.
Despite this confidence, Barata noted that precautionary measures had been taken by placing a legal team on standby to defend the result should any challenges arise.
Barata also addressed concerns over the rising number of independent candidates, stating that more than 40 individuals had chosen to run as independents after losing NRM primaries. He explained that this was anticipated and not indicative of flaws in the party’s selection process, noting that voter choices may have been influenced by differences in campaigns during primaries versus the general election.
Emphasizing the party’s willingness to work with all stakeholders, Barata reiterated NRM’s readiness to defend its victory if the results are challenged in court.
President Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for 38 years, has previously faced election petitions from former presidential candidates, including Dr. Kizza Besigye, Amama Mbabazi, and Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, whose 2021 petition was later withdrawn.
