MP Okecho wants Odoi disqualified

Kampala

West Budama North MP William Okecho has petitioned the NRM Electoral Commission seeking disqualification of his rival, Fox Odoi, a former presidential aide, over election rigging claims.

In a joint petition with fellow contender, Mr Henry Joseph Obbo, the duo claim that Mr Odoi, who was President Museveni’s legal assistant, through his agents, stuffed ballots and intimidated voters in the sub-counties of Nagongera, Sop Sop and Kirewa. In some of the incidents of election malpractices reported to the police, Mr Okecho says one of Mr Odoi’s supporters drew a gun on some of his supporters.

“The voters, especially in Kirewa, were very much intimidated resulting into rigging of elections in the sub-county as a whole. My agents were chased from the polling centres and the ballot boxes eventually stuffed,” Mr Okecho said. He also alleged that Mr Odoi’s agents illegally used a government vehicle and masqueraded as a party election monitoring team with intent to steal votes.

“As we waited for election materials notably the ballot papers at around noon [on voting day], a car covered with Mr Odoi’s posters, registration number UG 0093F arrived at Paya sub-county,” he said. “It had two sacks containing open envelopes, with voting materials.” In some places, according to the petition, the number of votes cast, were more than the number of registered voters.

For instance, inflated votes were cited in Winyaka village which allegedly had 200 registered voters but Mr Odoi got 758 votes out of 793 cast.
Others are; Lyopok which had 123 party members registered but 867 voted, out of which Mr Odoi got 801 votes. Mr Okecho told Daily Monitor that this trend has been noted in several parts of the constituency.

In unofficial results, Mr Odoi is laying claim to 16,579 votes against Mr Okecho’s 7,684. But Mr Okecho said he still hopes to win if voting in the remaining sub-counties of Paya and Sop-Sop goes ahead. The two sub-counties, according to Mr Okecho, have 26,000 voters.

NRM electoral commissioner, Ms Lydia Wanyoto, confirmed yesterday that she had received the petition, saying the matter would be handled with many other complaints after the party’s national delegates’ conference scheduled for Saturday. “We shall start handling these petitions on September 13 after the conference. We have one month to clear these petitions to allow flag bearers be nominated on November 23,” she said.

Efforts to reach Mr Odoi were futile as his telephone was switched off. The elections that kicked off on August 31 have been marred by unprecedented rigging and violence, a scenario that has caused embarrassment to the party.