Exclusive: How Abubaker Lubowa petitioned UJA over high nomination fees before crying foul

Exclusive: How Abubaker Lubowa petitioned UJA over high nomination fees before crying foul. Whisper Eye Reports

Days after the successful elections of Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) leadership on Saturday 12th December 2020 , Mr Lubowa Abubakar who failed to pay nomination fees contributed to the unopposed candidature of Mr Rukundo Mathias the newly elected UJA president, journalists are continuing to congratulate the new UJA leadership.

Whisper Eye has exclusively investigated how Mr Lubowa declined his candidature after failing to pay nomination fees .

Mr Lubowa lead a team of Journalists to petition UJA leadership for some electoral reforms including a reduction on nomination fees of 400,000/=.

About 30 journalists led by Mr Lubowa signed the petition. UJA leadership made some electoral reforms including; reducing on membership fees from 50,000/= to 20,000/= and nomination fees of other posts of the executive.

However UJA leadership had no powers whatsoever to extend the term of office of the current leadership, which was an abuse of the constitution.

Also membership fee of 400,000/= was not reduced thus Mr Lubowa failed to pay, despite of other changes made by UJA leadership raised by Mr Lubowa and his supporters.

Whisper Eye has established that Mr Lubowa was upcountry in the northern region on the campaign trail of Mr POA the FDC presidential candidate.

Thus he could not betray his trail , a reason that he asked UJA to extend elections after covering Mr Amuriat, an issue that could not force rescheduling of the Association elections.

Many supporters of Mr Lubowa after discovering his intention to force UJA elections extension , they joined Mr Rukundo’s camp which made him more powerful in the race.

Mr Lubowa’s statement that he did not participate in the process even after his answered petition calling electoral reforms by the supreme Journalists’ body in Uganda is a wicked thing in the history of UJA elections.

UJA president elect Mr Rukundo told Whisper Eye news that he was humbled by the massive support from journalists a cross the country.

He vowed to transform UJA the most powerful Journalist body in Africa.