Mr Oscar Kizza, the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) candidate in the Omoro County Parliamentary by-election has asked the Electoral Commission to revoke the nomination of his National Resistance Movement (NRM) rival, Andrew Ojok Oulanyah citing discrepancies in his names.
Ojok is one of the five other candidates nominated by the Electoral Commission last week to contest in the election slated for May 26, 2022. In his May 16, 2022 letter addressed to the Omoro District Electoral Commission Returning Officer, Kizza alleges that whereas Ojok was nominated as Ojok Andrew Oulanyah, his academic documents indicate a different name of Ojok Andrew O.
Kizza notes that the two persons in the names of Ojok Andrew Oulanyah and Ojok Andrew O are not one and the same, arguing that it was therefore, irregular and illegal to nominate a nonexistent person. He says it would have been logical for the candidate to swear a deed poll if he had an interest in running as Ojok Andrew Oulanyah.
“Andrew Ojok is only a Ugandan. That’s the only qualification he has. The academic papers he’s parading are for someone else. So, he needs to clarify that via a deed poll to tell the whole world how he wants to be addressed. Andrew Ojok Oulanyah is not his name.
The academic papers he submitted belong to Andrew Ojok O. ‘O’ means several things here in northern Uganda and Acholi in particular. We all know the brand name in that family and the biggest at the time Andrew Ojok was born is Okori, not Oulanyah. So, if he wants to be referred to as Andrew Ojok Oulanyah he needed to have made the world know by swearing a deed poll. So, it’s still in the powers of the Electoral Commission to strike that off,” Kizza said.
Kizza called on the Electoral Commission to cancel what he termed as a purported nomination of Ojok since it’s illegal and irregular.
“Having perused the file of a candidate nominated as Ojok Andrew Oulanyah presented by the NRM, I found several grave irregularities and illegalities that I, in my humble view, fortified by the Parliamentary Elections Act 2002 section 13 considers the purported nomination invalid and I invite the returning officer of Omoro District to come to the conclusion that the purported nominated Ojok Andrew Oulanyah is irregular and illegal,” Kizza’s letter reads in Part.
Kizza says that he has given EC up to Friday to address his concerns, adding that if they don’t get any answer, he will sue both the Electoral Commission and the NRM candidate.
He also alleges that Ojok attached a purported resignation letter from NITA-U, a Government department contrary to the Public Service Standing Orders 2 010.
“I’m yet to get that petition officially…I see it circulating. I can’t comment but once we receive the petition, we’ll file our defence. Those are just detractors. When they see that they are going to lose they go to technicalities. We are very sure of victory,” he said.
The Electoral Commission Spokesperson, Mr Paul Bukenya confirmed that they had received Kizza’s letter, saying it’s a lawful procedure on the side of the complainant.
“The commission is going to hear and determine the matter. We shall call in the parties to the complaint. We shall determine it and communicate,” he said.
The campaigns for the Omoro County Parliamentary by-election entered the second day Tuesday with most of the candidates pledging to revamp the health, education, agriculture, road sectors and improve access to clean water.
Mr Terrence Odonga, an independent who campaigned at Acet Market in Acet Trading Center in Odek Sub-county promised to boost farmers in the district by supporting them with loans. He also stressed that he will put in place a health scheme to provide health care services to children under five years and elderly persons above 75 years.