Candidates contesting for LC5 seats in Busoga sub-region have drawn lessons from the recently concluded presidential and parliamentary elections to improve their chances of success.
Mr Geoffrey Lubega, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) flag bearer in Jinja City, emphasised the importance of unity among candidates to prevent electoral malpractice.
“I was told that in Kampala, declaration forms for an opposition candidate were seized and destroyed, which led to his loss. From that incident, I learned an important lesson to guide me,” Lubega said.
He advised candidates to leave a copy of the Declaration Forms when proceeding to the tally centre, as opponents could attempt to seize the original and replace it with forged results.
Lubega noted that if the majority of candidates submit Declaration Forms with matching vote figures, it becomes difficult for any single candidate to alter the results.
“One of the candidates in Jinja West Constituency brought a Declaration form with inflated votes but failed to succeed, as the majority of other candidates had similar figures on their forms, which they presented to the Returning Officer to reject the forged one,” he said.
He emphasised that party flag bearers should monitor all votes for their members, not just their own constituencies, as many were neglecting votes for their party presidents at the tally centers.
Lubega noted that there are 14 candidates in the Jinja City mayoral race, but if more than half of them coordinate and speak the same language, the chances of vote manipulation can be significantly reduced.
Sharif Mangarani, the Buyende District NRM flag bearer, warned against compromising security operatives guarding polling stations.
“From this presidential election, I learned that compromising by security officers at polling stations was common, so candidates should not place full trust in them during elections,” Mangarani said.
He stressed that in Buyende District, some security officials allegedly ticked votes for other candidates after being bribed, even though they were supposed to safeguard the votes for all candidates.
Mangarani advised candidates to assist in transporting voters, noting that many had lost morale after their preferred candidates were defeated in the presidential and parliamentary elections.
Mr Ibrahim Ndoga, the Bugweri District FDC flag bearer, acknowledged that the Electoral Commission (EC) correctly declared the candidates who received the highest number of votes in his area.
“The Electoral Commission was perfect in my area this time; I was convinced that if a candidate wins, they can truly take the day,” Ndoga said.
However, he faulted the EC for delays in announcing the winner, which raised suspicions of vote rigging among candidates, something that should not happen, especially since LC5 polls are conducted on a Thursday.
Ndoga indicated that although there was a heavy security deployment intended to maintain peace, it ended up intimidating voters and contributed to low turnout during the presidential elections.
Abdallah Suta, an independent candidate in the Jinja District LC5 race, noted that the breakdown of Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVKs) during the presidential and parliamentary polls intimidated voters, which could affect turnout in the LC5 elections.
“People thought the hardship from the NRM primary polls had returned, so they stayed away from voting. I pray that these machines are not used in our elections,” Suta said. He appealed to the EC to base the declaration of winners strictly on the facts.