REVEALED! How Youth MP Hopeful, 33, Was 29 in 2016 and 22 in 2008 is 29 in 2020 & How he got 5 Yrs Younger In 2018

By Francis Otucu

Northern Youth Member of Parliament (MP) hopeful, George Abudul, is 29 (as per his amended age) years old but 33 (by his original documents as presented for nomination).

For starters, he is vying for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag before tussling it out for the youth’s most treasured seat in the 2021 Parliamentary polls.

However, armed with certified copies of his academic papers and appearing before the NRM Electoral Commission boss, Dr. Tanga Odoi on August 10, 2020, Abudul presented documents showing he is 33.

Already, for political players, this age does not qualify one to seek a youth MP seat. It is, however, important to note that the MP contender was 29 in 2016, 22 in 2008 and 19 in 2005.

WHAT WE KNOW

In 2016, Abudul was nominated for Youth MP seat by the Electoral Commission as an independent candidate. This, after he was defeated in the NRM primaries by incumbent, Oscar Omony. Both papers presented before the NRM EC and the EC show he was 29.

Ahead of the same poll, he presented his Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), obtained in 2005 and 2008 from Amach Complex Secondary School and Dr. Obote College, Boroboro respectively. The papers show, he was 19 in 2005 and 22 in 2008 (he repeated one class at A’ level). These make him 33 today. His Diploma (Business Studies/2011) transcript of Makerere University Business School (MUBS) shows he is 33 today, meaning he is a born of 1986. So, how is Abudul 29 today?

GOT 5 YEARS YOUNGER IN 2018

Well-placed sources at the National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA) have confided in us that Abudul caused a change in his date of birth, to strategize for 2021 polls. This, from October 6, 1986 to October 6, 1991. He swore an affidavit to that effect, a deep throat source told us. This meant Abudul’s age went down by 5 years. Earlier, in 2014 (On June 2, 2014) he picked his national identity card (number protected for professional reasons). This card showed Abudul is a born is 1986. Going by the changes, Abudul is 29 today.

THE BETRAYAL

However, even at that, the papers tabled by Abudul before the NRM EC in his 2020 nomination is a betrayal to himself. His age does not tally.

Considering his Primary Leaving Examination, UCE, UACE, voters’ card of 2011 and 2016, his national Identity Card, Abudul was not born in 1991. This would also mean Abudul started primary one at the age of 3.

LEGAL OPINION

Under the Parliamentary Elections Act (Special Interest Groups) Regulations 2001, only a youth, a person being 30 years and below, is eligible to be nominated and elected as a Youth Member of Parliament. Going by this, Abudul is not a youth anymore.

“It would also not tally with all his academic documents and his 2016 nomination form, where he submitted documentation starting he was 29 years old, 4 years ago,” lawyers of ABNO Advocates, a high-end law firm in Kampala opines, “All the above are grounds for nullification of an election, and the above evidence is in the public domain. This would cause unnecessary embarrassment to the NRM, and would also cause a by-election in the event of the candidate being allowed on the ballot.”

The law firm argues, “Recently, Justice Steven Kavuma swore an affidavit stating that whereas his official documents had indicated his date of birth as September 1947, he had since amended that date to September 1948, so as to remain in service for an extra year. The Public Service Commission (PSC) rejected this affidavit. In rejecting this amended age, it relied on his previous documents e.g his passport and his Certificate of Eligibility for admission as an Advocate of the High Court, among others, which had his original date of birth.”

In our next story, we publish documents showing what exactly happened to Abudul’s age.