Munyagwa slams EC over rejection of party signatures

20 September 2025, 5:14 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

Following the Electoral Commission’s announcement that some political parties submitted invalid signatures required for presidential nominations, the Common Man’s Party president, Mubarak Munyagwa, has expressed strong concerns about the process.

Addressing journalists at the party headquarters in Kampala today, Munyagwa said his team had submitted more than enough signatures, only to be told after a long delay that most were invalid.

“I want to confirm to the general public that we submitted the required signatures on time. The commission told us that in Kampala only 13 signatures were valid out of over 1,000 we submitted. Shame on you Electoral Commission—how could you do such a thing?” he said.

Munyagwa added that in every district, the number of signatures collected exceeded the required threshold, yet they were still rejected. He vowed to resubmit new signatures on Monday, warning the Commission against what he described as “playing games.”

This comes a day after the National Unity Platform (NUP) also raised concerns, revealing that the Electoral Commission validated signatures from only 80 districts out of the 98 required. NUP has since called on its members from 18 districts to provide fresh signatures, which the party leadership pledged to deliver by Monday.

According to electoral guidelines, every presidential aspirant must submit signatures from at least 98 districts, with each district contributing a minimum of 100 valid signatures. Presidential nominations are scheduled for September 23rd and 24th, 2025, at Lweza–Lubowa in Wakiso district.

Meanwhile, Hassan Nsubuga, leader of the pressure group Buganda First and aspiring Member of Parliament for Kampala Central, urged Ugandans to vote for leaders who prioritise development and safeguard land rights. Speaking in Kampala today, he accused some officials of land grabbing and pledged to work tirelessly for Buganda and Kampala Central if elected to the 12th Parliament.