Justice David Matovu, the judge hearing election petition cases at the Gulu high court has advised Aswa county MP Reagan Akumu and his challenger Christopher Acire to solve their differences out of court.
Justice Matovu who is the resident judge for Mbarara High Court but has been posted to Gulu to hear petitions advised lawyers representing Okumu and Acire, the former MP for Gulu Municipality to opt for mediation rather than choosing the costly legal route.
Justice Matovu offered the advice to legal representatives of the two politicians on Thursday at Gulu High Court. He said the two men are members of the same party and there is no need for them to run court to settle their differences.
“Why don’t they settle the matter? They are all children from the same house. What are they fighting for?” the judged queried.
Acire came third after he lost to Okumu in the race for Aswa County Parliamentary seat after he opted to run in Aswa instead of his then Gulu Municipality.
The two politicians are both members of the major opposition party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).
Justice Matovu noted that there is no doubt that during elections, Acire and Okumu were very angry but now that the election is over, they should bury their differences.
The judge said that he had seen all the aspects of the case and that he would not wish to see one of the parties slapped with legal cost, further dragging them back after a costly election.
MP Okumu is being represented by Dan Wandera-Ogalo of Victoria & Co. Advocates while Acire is being represented by Faisal Umar Mulalira of Nakenya, Mulalira & Co. Advocates.
Wandera-Ogalo, told the judge that they are open to the option of negotiating out of court but said it will be difficult to negotiate citing what he said is the dishonesty by Acire’s lawyers.
According to Wandera-Ogalo, legal representatives of the petitioner wrongly advised their client (Acire) on the best way to resolve the matter.
Faisal Umar Mulalira, the lead counsel for Acire assured the judge that they will talk to their client on the matter raised by the judge and keep Okumu’s lawyers informed.
Acire who run on an independent ticket garnered 5,316 to Okumu’s 16,859.
The former Gulu Municipality legislator accuses Okumu of blackmailing him.
Acire alleged that during the campaign Okumu said that he[Acire] is heavily indebted, used foul language which soiled his reputation. He further claims that Okumu deliberately used the FDC party symbols and colours and yet the Gulu high court had bared him from doing so.
In December last year, Lady Justice Margret Mutonyi, the Gulu High Court Judge ordered that that the Independent National Election Commission should recognize Christopher Acire, as the official FDC flag bearer for Aswa County MP seat.
In a ruling she delivered, the Judge says Okumu was not dully nominated since the party did not follow the party constitution.
Justice Mutonyi cited article 7 G & H of the FDC constitution which spelt out that nomination of a candidate for any political office should follow the due process of the law.
Other candidates in the Aswa County MP race were; Patrick Okello Onguti (NRM) with 6,809, Tonny Kitara, (DP) with 852 and Patrick Omot Labanya, an independent candidate who managed only 336 votes.
