EC Disqualifies NUP Candidate Challenging Minister Kasaija in Buyanja

Kibaale District, Uganda — The Electoral Commission (EC) has disqualified Christopher Ategeka, the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate in the Buyanja County parliamentary race, dealing a blow to the opposition party ahead of the 2026 general elections.

Ategeka had been nominated on October 23, 2025, to contest against the incumbent Member of Parliament and Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija. However, his nomination was challenged through a petition citing non-compliance with the Parliamentary Elections Act.

According to the EC, the petition alleged that Ategeka’s nomination contravened Section 28(1)(c) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, Cap 177, after three supporters listed on his nomination papers could not be verified as registered voters in Buyanja County.

The Commission found that after the Returning Officer rejected the three names, Ategeka whitewashed them and replaced them with Nkuuna David, Byamukama Joseph, and Kiirabo Vicent, whose names appeared on the forms without corresponding signatures.

The EC conducted hearings on November 23 and December 4, 2025, during which Ategeka admitted substituting the names but insisted that the individuals had indeed signed the nomination papers.

However, in its ruling signed by EC Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama, the Commission held that while the names, villages, and National Identification Numbers (NINs) were altered, the original signatures were not whitewashed.

“This implies that the existing signatures were for the whitewashed names of the people who had originally appended their signatures on the nomination paper,” the ruling reads.

The Commission said it was not satisfied with Ategeka’s explanation that the substituted individuals had signed the forms, noting that there was no alteration of the original signatures.

As a result, the EC ruled under MIN.COMP/058/2025 that Ategeka failed to comply with the law, rendering his nomination void under Section 30(a) of the Parliamentary Elections Act.

“In light of the foregoing observations, the Commission found that Ategeka Christopher did not comply with the law. His nomination is therefore void and stands disqualified,” the ruling stated.

The decision was immediately criticised by NUP leader and presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, who accused the Commission of acting under political influence.

In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Kyagulanyi claimed Ategeka was disqualified after allegedly refusing a Shs300 million bribe to step down in favour of the Finance Minister.

“They brought him numerous offers — up to 300 million shillings cash — to step down for the minister and he refused,” Kyagulanyi wrote.

He further claimed that during the EC hearings, Ategeka appeared with the three individuals in question, who allegedly confirmed having signed the nomination papers and reproduced similar signatures in the presence of the Commission chairperson.

Kyagulanyi said Ategeka’s candidacy had “shaken the ground” politically in Buyanja County.

Ategeka becomes the latest in a series of NUP candidates disqualified by the Electoral Commission in various parts of the country, a trend the opposition says reflects growing political intolerance, while the EC maintains that all decisions are based strictly on the law