The Supreme Court has set 4th March 2021 to start hearing Bobi Wine’s application to withdraw his presidential petition.
According to Solomon Muyita the principal communications officer of the judiciary, the date was set after the gazette published a notice of the application on Monday.
“Supreme Court to hear Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi’s application for withdrawal of the Presidential Election Petition before the Supreme Court in Kampala on Thursday 4th March 9:30 am,” he said.
Last week, when the Supreme Court convened, the Chief Justice Alfonso Owniy Dollo explained to Bobi Wine’s lawyers that an application withdrawing a presidential election petition has to be gazetted before its set for hearing.
Recently, Bobi Wine announced at a press conference that he had instructed his advocates to withdraw his petition challenging the victory of President Museveni in the election of January 14.
Bobi Wine instructed his lawyers to withdraw the presidential petition which he filed in the Supreme Court challenging President Yoweri Museveni’s election victory.
He said Court has clearly indicated that it can’t provide justice to him after blocking him to provide additional evidence.
Kyagulanyi noted that the case will now be taken to the public court since Ugandan courts have failed to show that they are independent but instead continue to work for President Museveni. He further said the people of Uganda will have the final say.
“We are withdrawing from the courts but we are not opting for violence. We are withdrawing the case from Mr Owiny Dollo’s court,” National Unity Platform (NUP) said.
The development came hot on the heels of Supreme Court’s decision to reject Bobi Wine’s bid to file additional affidavits in support of his petition challenging the victory of President Museveni in the January 14 elections.
In an eight to one majority ruling , justice night Percy Tuhaise dismissed NUP’s application that sought extra time to file his new affidavits.
Prior, the outgoing Kyadondo East legislator threatened Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo that if he does not step down from hearing his case, he (Bobi Wine) will withdraw his petition citing conflict of interest.
He however said he no longer feels the Owiny Dollo led court has what it takes to deliver justice to Ugandans whom he says overwhelmingly voted for change but their victory was robbed in favor of Museveni.
As such, he demanded that the chief justice, along with two other justices on the nine justice panel step down for he says it’s been established that the three have in the past had personal and professional relationships with President Museveni, a defendant in the matter before the very court which makes the prospect of justice highly unlikely.
“We went to court seeking justice. As demonstrated above, all we have received so far is injustice and unfairness. It is however not surprising that Mr. Owiny-Dollo is behaving in this manner, although we hoped he would conduct the affairs of our highest court judiciously,” Bobi Wine said.
However, according to Justice Dollo, whoever thinks can induce or intimidate him should be ready for a crash.
“Nobody should have the fear that we will favour any person in this petition, we took an oath to defend. We did not invite anyone to this court if you have Plan B, go ahead with it but do not bring underserved chaos in court,” he told Court last Friday during the hearing of Bobi Wine’s application to allow his additional 127 affidavits.
“The last time we sat here I spoke on how we will conduct ourselves in the matter before us. The lordships as it is provided for in the constitution took an oath to protect it without fear or favor, affection or ill-will…..All matters that arise outside court we don’t have time for it. If anyone thinks they can intimidate, blackmail the Chief Justice Of Uganda, he is going to crash.”
