Former National Peasants Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Robert Kasibante, has opened up about his decision to withdraw his petition challenging the 2021 presidential election results, citing logistical and financial constraints.
Speaking during NBS Eagle on Sunday, Kasibante explained the challenges he faced during his presidential bid and subsequent legal proceedings.
"When I stepped into the presidential elections, I noticed that it wouldn't be easy because of the way the Electoral Commission was handling things," he said.
Kasibante emphasized that the case he filed in court was not directly against President Museveni personally, but rather concerned "irregularity, injustice, and ignoring laws governing presidential elections."
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Kasibante noted that he had amassed sufficient evidence to support his petition but ultimately withdrew from court proceedings because other opposition parties were unwilling to provide support.
"I had enough evidence concerning my case. I withdrew my case from court because the other opposition parties were not willing to support me," he explained.
Speaking during the same show, outgoing Mawokota South Member of Parliament, Yusuf Nsibambi, highlighted Kasibante's financial and logistical challenges during the election period, mocking his decision to contest for the presidency hoping to rely on other opposition parties.
"I don't want to say that your lawyers failed their job, but Mr. Kasibante, you also had a problem. You can't contest for president when your account is low because you wanted other opposition parties to help you financially. What had you come to do if you didn't have DR forms?," he said.
"None of the opposition parties have 100m on their account in the last six months, unless when it came from IPOD."
Parliamentary Caucus Spokesperson of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Alex Brandon Kintu commended Kasibante for his decision to withdraw the case and recognized his electoral support.
"I want to appreciate Robert Kasibante for not taking the case further. The over thirty thousand votes Kasibante got were also remarkable," he said.
Kasibante had initially petitioned the Supreme Court o seeking to nullify Museveni's victory electoral victory. According to the official tally, Museveni garnered 7,946,772 votes, representing 71.65 percent of the total valid votes cast
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Finishing sixth in the election with 33,440 votes (0.30 percent), Kasibante alleged widespread electoral malpractices, including violence, misuse of state resources, irregularities in the voters' register, and undue influence over the Electoral Commission (EC).
Kasibante lodged the petition under Article 104 of the Constitution and Section 61 of the Presidential Elections Act, challenging both the conduct of the election and the declaration of Museveni as the winner.
In a lengthy statement, Kasibante listed Museveni, the EC, and the Attorney General as respondents, asserting that the election was neither free nor fair and violated constitutional and statutory requirements.
A significant allegation in the petition involved the failure to gazette 15,256 polling stations before election day.
Kasibante claimed these stations--representing nearly 30 percent of the total--were nevertheless used for voting, counting, and tallying, denying candidates and their agents the opportunity to monitor the process effectively.
However, Kasibante explained that he could not continue with the petition because he lacked the financial capacity to cover the logistical costs required to conduct a forensic audit of election materials and processes, which he deemed essential to substantiate his claims.
