Loser declared winner after beating up returning officer in Lira

Supporters of Ms Linda Auma celebrate her victory at NRM Lira Office in Lira on September 5. PHOTO BY PATRICK EBONG

What you need to know:

  • The results for Lira City East Division which was  on Friday evening cancelled over altering of election results by polling assistants was also released on Saturday. The results indicated that Mr Apollo Onyango had won with 3,643 votes against Mr Francis Okello Opio who became second with 2,353 votes.

BY PATRICK EBONG

Three candidates who lost in the NRM parliamentary primaries in Lira District have rejected the results citing irregularities.

This came as no surprise after the Assistant Electoral Officer, Mr Moses Okello, declared two different results for the Erute North parliamentary election.

On Saturday morning, the officer first declared Ms Christine Akello as the winner of Erute North parliamentary seat with 9,299 votes. She was followed by Mr Geoffrey Omara Adigi with 6,109 votes and then Mr Jimmy Ebong with 543 votes.

However, Mr Omara, who was standing behind the assistant returning officer (Mr Okello) at the time of declaring the results, pounced on him and grabbed the declaration form before Ms Akello, who was declared winner, could sign it. The returning officer was rescued by security officers who took Mr Omara away from him.

Mr Okello also declared that the results for Lira District Woman MP had been held. This was because one of the six candidates, Ms Linda Auma had registered a complaint that the results from the two Sub counties of Wiodyek and Agali had been altered.

This did not go down well with the candidates for Lira woman MP, Erute North and Lira City West Division whose results were cancelled.

When the supporters of the affected candidates who were gathered at the NRM electoral commission offices in Lira City West Division turned chaotic in protest after the announcement, police fired several canisters of tear gas to disperse them but they remained adamant.

The candidates were later called to correct some of the anomalies which had affected their results.

Two hours later, the assistant returning officer Mr Okello came out with the changed results for Erute North and declared Mr Omara Adigi, who had earlier attempted to strangle him, as the winner.

He declared Mr Omara as the winner with 8,725 votes against Ms Akello's 7,110 votes.

This also did not go down well with Ms Akello who said that her votes were grabbed in broad day light by Mr Omara Adigi who fought the returning officer in front of the security and forced him to alter the results.

“I was declared the winner in front of my supporters and security plus the press, but before I could sign the declaration form Omara Adigi grabbed it from the returning officer and now they have forcefully grabbed my votes. But I am going to stand as an Independent candidate,” Ms Akello said.

The results for Lira City East Division which was  on Friday evening cancelled over altering of election results by polling assistants was also released on Saturday. The results indicated that Mr Apollo Onyango had won with 3,643 votes against Mr Francis Okello Opio who became second with 2,353 votes.

But earlier the returning officer accused Mr Onyango of rigging elections. He cited Iwal ward where the total results from the polling station indicated that he had got 2,296 votes but the results which reached the tally centre was altered to 2,409 votes.

Mr Okello rejected the outcome of the election saying there were delays in releasing their results because money was still exchanging hands to grab his votes.

"I am going to submit my petition on Monday, but will not waste my time waiting for the outcome, I will stand as Independent candidate,” he said.

Ms Florence Adupa, who had high hopes of winning the Lira District Woman MP seat but lost to Ms Auma has vowed to go Independent as well.

Ms Auma was declared winner with 9,696 votes against Ms Adupa's 7,250 votes. The two candidates who fought in front of their supporters on Friday afternoon at the electoral commission offices again fought on Saturday.