Bukedea Woman MP aspirant cries foul over missing name in voters register
Ms Hellen Akol Odeke, Bukedea Woman MP aspirant. Photo | Courtesy
What you need to know:
- Ms Hellen Akol Odeke says that during the recent display of the national voters register, she was unable to locate her name
A woman who has shown interest in contesting for the Woman MP seat for Bukedea district has allegedly cried over a possible foul play after her voter particulars were allegedly struck out of the national voters register.
Ms Hellen Akol Odeke, born in Kachumbala sub-county, present-day Kachumbala County, Bukedea District, told this publication that after the same was done to her during the 2021 elections, she chose to transfer to Malera primary school polling station, in Bukedea County, where she acquired land, but during the recent display of the national voters register, her name was not there.
“I took my complaint to the Bukedea EC office, and I was told that I have to face a tribunal that will be chaired by the magistrate to determine my fate. I wonder why everything in this country is being done upside down,” Ms Odeke said.
In 2021 elections, Ms Akol’s wish to be nominated as a candidate for the Bukedea District Woman MP was blocked after the then resident judge for Soroti High Court, Justice Wilson Musalu Musene, ruled in favour of Umar Okodel, a peasant of Kaling village, Kachumbala, who, through his lawyers M/s Alaka & co. Advocates and M/S Magna advocates had sued Akol and another aspirant, Sophie Malinga Akol, for lack of preliquisite academic documents and alteration of names.
Ms Akol added that even one of her campaign managers, John Kokas Ogulit, a resident of Miroi village, Kolir Sub County, was arrested three weeks ago for allegedly distributing her T-shirts to her supporters.
“Everyone is feeling the burden of intimidation, the security team that is meant to oversee a fair playground for those interested to compete, seems to be compromised and seems to be in favour of the incumbents,” she noted.
Mr Emmy Lorika, the Bukedea DPC, said that he doesn’t hold any mandate or role in the Electoral Commission to influence the removal of someone's name from the register.
“There is a tribunal in the village that handles such matters, who am I to influence the EC, how do I access the national voters register?” he asked.
Mr Lorika, on the issue of the arrest of John Kokas Ogulit, said that people should also know their boundaries, adding that Ogulit was arrested over threatening violence against his biological brother.
“Where does politics come in this matter?” he said.
Ms Tabitha Arot, a wife of John Kokas Ogulit, said that her husband was on two counts, one for distributing political materials before the stipulated period and the other for threatening violence.
Mr Julius Mucunguzi, the spokesperson for the Electoral Commission (EC), told this publication that Ms Akol should back her claims with evidence, like having a transfer form from her old polling station in Kachumbala to Malera
He said that if she applied, there must be a transfer form, but Akol insists that she wouldn’t have a transfer form because her name was equally struck off the national voter register towards the 2021 elections.
"If you are not registered, you cannot transfer. For now, her complaint should be treated as hearsay," he said.
The current woman representative for Bukedea District is the Speaker of Parlianment, Anita Among.
