10 candidates pick forms for Omoro County MP seat
What you need to know:
- In March, EC declared the Omoro County seat vacant following the death of Jacob Oulanyah, 56, on March 20 from Seattle, USA.
- The EC then marked and set aside May 26, as the date for Omoro County Parliamentary by-election.
A total of 10 people have picked nomination forms from the Omoro District Electoral Commission offices to vie for the Omoro County Parliamentary seat.
Mr Moses Kagona, the Omoro District returning officer, on Monday told Daily Monitor that several others are expected to turn up.
“I can say we have candidates from Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), National Resistance Movement (NRM), NUP, JEEMA, and FDC,” Mr Kagona said.
He said the aspirants include Mr Andrew Ojok Oulanyah (NRM), who is the son of former MP for Omoro County, the late Jacob Oulanyah, Mr Oscar Kizza (ANT), and Dick Denis Owani (Forum for Democratic Change).
At the weekend, the NRM party led by the Secretary General, Mr Richard Todwong, unveiled Mr Ojok as the NRM candidate.
Mr Ojok was unveiled before an estimated 3,000 delegates of the district on Saturday at Opit Secondary School playground in Omoro Town Council, days after the FDC party unveiled Mr Owani as their flagbearer at a ceremony in Kampala.
Mr Todwong said the party settled for Mr Ojok to desist from divisive politics during the time of mourning the former MP.
Other candidates who picked the forms include NUP’s Simon Toolit Akecha and Independent candidates; Ms Jolly Grace Okot Laker, Mr Terence Odonga, Mr Jimmy Onen Walter and Mr Eric Lajul, among others.
Mr Odonga lost to Mr Owani in a party primary election held a fortnight ago.
Mr Kagona said the aspirants are expected to return the forms by May 13, adding that campaigns are set to start on May 16 and elections slated for May 26.
He, however, cautioned the candidates against campaigns before nominations and campaigns are officially cleared to kick off.
Background
In March, EC declared the Omoro County seat vacant following the death of Jacob Oulanyah, 56, on March 20 from Seattle, USA.
The EC then marked and set aside May 26, as the date for Omoro County Parliamentary by-election.
Oulanyah was the Omoro County MP from 2001 to 2005 and then from 2011 until his death.
