The Electoral Commission (EC) Tribunal is today expected to convene to look into election matters, including the fate of three women who were sued after declaring their intentions to contest against the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, in the forthcoming elections.
Ms Zipporah Akol sued Ms Hellen Odeke Akol, Ms Susan Norma Otai, and Ms Marion Mercy Alupo, asking the court to block their nomination on the grounds that the three aspirants are not legitimately registered as voters in Bukedea District and should, therefore, be disqualified.
The Electoral Commission was also listed as a respondent in the suit, with all four parties required to file their defence. However, by Monday, only Ms Alupo had filed her response, while the EC requested for more time to prepare its defence. The court pushed the matter to Monday next week.
A source told Monitor yesterday that the Commission is slated to sit today to decide whether to back the three women or remove them from the register. The source added that the chances of the Commission declining to support the trio are very high.
EC speaks out
In an interview, the EC’s Manager for Public Relations, Mr Julius Mucunguzi, explained that petitions are a core part of the Commission’s work.
Mr Mucunguzi further said the complaints are normally lodged by parties themselves, but did not confirm if the case of the three petitioned aspirants will come up in the meeting. ‘The Commission is currently hearing many petitions. I have not checked which one is on the agenda, but it is true that the Commission will be meeting tomorrow (today). The Commission always meets on Tuesday and Thursday.’
According to documents filed in the High Court’s Civil Division in Kampala, Ms Akol claims the Electoral Commission did not followed due procedure in publishing the voters’ roll in May 2025, and that in the 10 days allowed for objections, complaints were raised that Ms Odeke did not originate from or reside in Malera Parish, Ms Otai was not from Kopeta Parish, and Ms Alupo was not a resident of Kotolut Parish.
In her petition, Ms Akol wants the court to declare the three women unregistered voters, bar the EC from nominating them, and rule them ineligible to stand.
The respondents have dismissed the claims. Ms Alupo insists she has proof she is a registered voter in Bukedea, Ms Odeke has described the case as ‘machinations,’ while Ms Otai is demanding an explanation from the EC on how her name was deleted.
The EC has not publicly confirmed the details. Meanwhile, the NRM party, which earlier nominated Ms Among unopposed for the Woman MP slot after Ms Odeke was disqualified, maintains that the case is part of local political manoeuvring.
What law says
Under Uganda’s Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005, a valid candidate for Parliament must be a Ugandan citizen, a registered voter, and meet the minimum educational requirement. Disqualifications include non-voter registration or failure to meet residence and origin requirements.