The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has assembled a legal team of over 50 lawyers to handle potential disputes arising from the party’s forthcoming primary elections.
According to Enoch Barata, the NRM Director of Legal Affairs, the expression of interest process by aspirants is progressing smoothly, with no major challenges reported so far. He revealed that the legal team is actively involved in supporting the process and has established a legal advisory desk to assist party members who may need clarification on procedural matters.
“These lawyers are drawn from various law firms across the country. They are available to provide legal guidance to aspirants and support the party’s internal processes,” Barata said in an interview with URN, on the sidelines of the ongoing nomination form collection exercise.
Barata added that a dedicated tribunal will be constituted to adjudicate any disputes arising from the primaries. In addition, other lawyers on the team will handle external legal challenges brought against the party.
The NRM’s legal framework includes a tribunal that serves as the court of first instance for internal electoral grievances. If a candidate is dissatisfied with the tribunal’s decision, they can escalate the matter to national courts, in accordance with the party’s procedures.
Despite preparations for possible disputes, Barata expressed optimism that the number of legal challenges will be minimal in this electoral cycle. He credited this to improved voter verification mechanisms, including the use of the party register and voter slips.
“We now have the means to verify who is a legitimate voter and who is not, which we believe will significantly reduce contention,” he said.
The party register, which was recently used during grassroots leadership elections, will again play a critical role in the upcoming primaries, Barata noted. However, he declined to disclose the identities of the lawyers on the legal team.
According to records from the NRM Electoral Commission, 423 aspirants picked nomination forms on Thursday—the third day of the exercise—bringing the total number of aspirant hopefuls to 1,740. These include individuals seeking positions as Constituency MPs, District Woman MPs, LC5 Chairpersons, and representatives for Special Interest Groups.
The nomination exercise is scheduled to resume on Saturday and will close on June 15, 2025. After this, aspirants will be required to return their completed nomination forms, endorsed by at least 20 registered voters.
NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi announced that party primaries will be held on July 16, 2025, and will be conducted through the lining-up method, where voters physically line up behind their preferred candidates.
