Mary Akol, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party candidate has emerged as the winner of the Bukedea LCV Chairperson race. Akol secured victory with 79,692 votes, amidst a race that was marred by incidents of intimidation and violence.
The NRM-leaning candidate, Lokwiisk Tychicus Ebukalim came second with 4,942 votes, while the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate, Sam Oita Odeke, finished last with 2,343 votes. During the election on Wednesday, the FDC party announced the withdrawal of Odeke from the race citing alleged election malpractices such as ballot stuffing, intimidation, and violence.
Later in the day, Ebukalim, an independent candidate, also withdrew from the race, citing similar claims. Both Oita and Ebukalim, along with their agents, did not appear at the tally center, which was predominantly filled with NRM supporters.
According to the declaration of results forms signed by the Returning Officer, Joel Mugyenyi Mugerwa, 87,870 people cast their votes out of the 100,294 registered voters in the district. Out of the counted ballots, 894 were deemed invalid, and 161 were classified as spoilt.
Mary Akol will now assume the position of LC V Chairperson, replacing her predecessor Moses Olemukan, who passed away last year due to liver complications. Akol has been serving as the LC V Vice Chairperson and has been overseeing the office of the LCV chairperson since Olemukan’s demise.
Prior to her appointment as LC V Vice Chairperson, Akol had been serving her second term as a woman councilor, representing Aminit Sub County. She received the party flag from the current Bukedea Resident District Commissioner, William Wilberforce Tukei, who opted not to participate in the by-election.
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