NRM’s Sam Engola Jnr, who had previously won the primaries, lost his Member of Parliament seat for Oyam North Constituency. This by-election was held as a replacement for Col. Engola, who was tragically shot dead by his bodyguard. Despite facing challenges such as a delayed start and heavy downpour, the election was deemed successful. However, incidents of rigging marred the process, with armed men in army uniforms storming the Wang Lobo polling station in Otwal Sub County.
These armed men resorted to intimidation tactics, brandishing guns, and forcefully influencing the presiding officer to engage in fraudulent activities. A shocking 250 ballot papers were fraudulently cast, equivalent to five booklets of votes.
Dr. Eunice Apio Otuko, the candidate representing the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party, emerged as the victorious candidate in the Oyam North by-election, Electorial Commission announced on Twitter
The Returning Officer, Oyam District, Onoba Richard has declared Eunice Otuko Apio who has obtained the largest number of votes, winner of the by-election for Member of Parliament, Oyam County North Constituency, Oyam District.@PaulBukenya #OyamNorthByelection pic.twitter.com/HHlGdPZmOZ
— Electoral Commission- Uganda (@UgandaEC) July 6, 2023
A total of 32,751 votes were cast across 167 polling stations, accounting for approximately 36.10 percent of the constituency’s registered voters. The constituency comprised 93,733 individuals spread across eight sub-counties and the town council.
Among the votes cast, 37 were spoiled, reflecting a small number of ballots deemed invalid due to errors or mishandling. Additionally, there were 755 invalid votes, constituting approximately 2.31 percent of the total votes. These invalid votes were disregarded as they failed to meet the established electoral guidelines.
