The Pader Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered a full recount of votes in the closely contested Aruu County parliamentary election after Independent Candidate Dr. Odonga Otto convinced the court that serious tallying errors may have affected the outcome.
In a ruling delivered yesterday, Chief Magistrate Kirya Martins directed that the recount be conducted today at 8:30 a.m., barely days after the January 15 polls.
The Aruu race was decided by a margin of just 26 votes, making it one of the tightest parliamentary contests in the region.
The Electoral Commission had declared National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Hon. Christopher Komakech the winner with 10,455 votes, against Otto’s 10,429.
Otto, a former Member of Parliament for the area, immediately challenged the results.
Otto told the court that 175 votes clearly cast in his favour were wrongly declared invalid at 12 polling stations, largely due to failures of the Biometric Voter Verification Machines (BVVMs).
He argues that although the machines failed to function properly, voters’ choices were clearly marked on the ballot papers and should not have been invalidated.
Through his lawyer, Kenneth Akena, Otto argues that the Returning Officer ignored a formal request for a recount and rushed to declare results in the absence of his polling agents.
The recount will be conducted at the Pader Chief Magistrate’s Court under tight police security.
Its outcome will determine who represents Aruu County in Parliament and could set an important precedent for handling closely contested elections in northern Uganda.
By URN
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