Opposition takes Amuru, NRM blames Electoral Commission

The results. Ms Akello polled 7,420 votes beating her closest rival Ms Jane Frances Amongin Okili of the ruling NRM party who polled 6,701 votes.

by monotor team
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kabale.

“I am delighted to be entrusted by the people of Amuru District to lead you in promoting development,” Ms Lucy Akello, the joint Opposition candidate, told supporters, who on Thursday night joined in wild jubilation to celebrate her win in the by-election to fill the district Woman MP seat.

Ms Akello polled 7,420 votes beating her closest rival Ms Jane Frances Amongin Okili of the ruling NRM party who polled 6,701 votes. Also in the race were Ms Acan Pauline (independent), who polled 775 votes, Suzan Adokorach Bwot (Conservative Party), polled 300 votes and Ms Caroline Aber, who got 146 votes. Total votes cast according to the Electoral Commission were at 15,342 votes.

In her maiden speech, Ms Akello said it was a privilege that she had been chosen to represent the people of Aumuru in Parliament, promising she would work hard to bring development and prosperity in the district.
The elections, according to the Electoral Commission registrar for Amuru District, Mr Sam Olet, had no major disturbances, adding they were free and fair.

Mr Badru Kigundu, the Electoral Commission chairman, who was present during the tallying and announcement of the election results, expressed gratitude for the peaceful election. But asked Ms Akello to emulate her predecessor’s good work, Ms Betty Atuku Bigombe, who resigned the seat this year to take up a job at the World Bank. The release of the results last night was, however, delayed for close to an hour after election results from Otong Primary School Polling Station in Gaya parish, Pabbo Sub-county went missing.

However, when the results were finally delivered, the declaration forms were missing, which prompted the registrar to omit out the results, announcing results from 111 polling stations.

The NRM chairperson for Amuru District, Juma Labong, blamed their loss on the Electoral Commission, saying: “We had a strong candidate and provisional results from most sub-counties had shown we were winning. But all of a sudden the results turned against us.”

Mr Labongo, however, admitted the strength of the Opposition whom he said had camped in the area for many days doing political propaganda. “As the NRM chairman in the district, I want to challenge the results released by Electoral Commission and demand that the election results be nullified so that a fair by-election is conducted,” Labong said. He cited that missing results from the Otong Primary School Polling Station and the missing names of a number of people in the registers.

Mr Dusman Okee, a member of the NRM by-election task force, who had campaigned for the party with President Museveni, accused the Opposition of influencing voters with misinformation.
He said the Opposition had misinformed voters, warning them that an NRM candidate would collude with government to give away their land.

The people of Amuru District have for long battled with the government challenging its decision to give chunks of their land to Madhvani Group for growing sugarcane. Although the President had tried to explain to the people in relation to the contested land give-away, Mr Okee said it would not neutralise the lies, which the Opposition had fed to people.

Mr Nobert Mao, the DP president, told Saturday Monitor they had run a strong campaign in the area, which sought to give hope to the people Amuru. “We have been campaigning against government not the NRM. We did not have the resources like the President, who had been using a military helicopter and dishing out money to bribe voters, but we gave the people of Amuru hope,” he said.

The victory in Amuru, according to Mr Moa, gives people new hope that it is possible to have a change of government without bloodshed. He said the Opposition would again get together to rally support for a joint candidate in the Busia District chairman by-election.

“We have discovered that the fragmentation of the Opposition is exploited by Mr Museveni and his government. We have found the solution to the fragmentation. We are coming together as a united force struggling for democracy in Uganda,” said Mr Mao.

The Amuru by-election follows the resignation of the incumbent Ms Betty Atuku Bigombe who left for a World Bank job early this year. In the 2011 general election, Ms Okili contested as an independent candidate against Ms Bigombe who was on the NRM ticket.