Eleven NRM Members of Parliament have dragged their party to the Constitutional challenging a resolution by the party's central Executive committee that endorsed the sole candidature of their party President Museveni for the 2021 presidential elections.
The aggrieved rebel MPs have today petitioned the constitutional court to declare the resolution null and void.
Some of the MPs include Theodre Sekikubo, Barnarbs Tinkasiimiire , Mbwatekamwa Gaffa, Monicah Amonding , John Baptist Nambeshe, Patrick Nsamba, Samuel Lyomoki, Sylvia Akello.
Others are ; Susan Amero, James Acidri and Moses Adome Bildard.
These have filed their petition through three law firms of Caleb Alaka, Wilfred Nuwagaba and Baririre Muhangi and company advocates.
On the 19th of February this year, CEC declared President Museveni who has been the party chairman for the past 35 years as their sole presidential candidate at chobe safari lodge in Nyoya district .
However, according to the Mps the resolution that took four days blocked and suffocated the interests of other would be individuals in the party who have aspirations to become presidential candidates in the coming General elections.
Workers' MP Sam Lyamoki says he has aspirations of contesting for the seat of the President and that President Museveni's sole candidature was done in total disregard of his aspirations.
He further says that his party was aware of his presidential intentions since he officially communicated to the Secretary General of the party on the 19th of January 2019.
The MPs further claim that CEC had no mandate to declare president Museveni as a presidential candidate for the 2021 elections in the middle of this term (2016-2020) because it's (CEC) 5 year tenure of office is due to expire in July 2020 and therefore have no business in the next coming elections .
The Mps claim that instead grass root elections within the party had to be conducted from which CEC would recommend the successful candidates to the National delegates conference
The MPs further want court to intervene in the internal governance of their party which they contend is not Democratic at all because their party's Secretary General Kasule Lumumba unfairly blocked them from participating in the parliamentary caucus retreat at Kyankwazi where the sole candidature resolution was adopted .
They have now asked the Constitutional Court to declare as unconstitutional all the CEC resolutions including baring them from attending the said retreat and pay them costs for this petition.
This is the second time the NRM party is dragged to court over declaring president M7 as a sole presidential Candidate for his party.
In 2017, party supporter Benjamin Alipanga also dragged his party to the constitutional court over President Museveni's sole candidature, however, his case was later overtaken by events forcing him to withdraw it.