EC Blocks Three Aspirants from Contesting Against Speaker Among in Bukedea

The Electoral Commission has upheld the decisions of three village tribunals in Bukedea District to delete the names of three women who had hoped to dislodge the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, from the Bukedea Woman Member of Parliament seat in the forthcoming elections.

The affected aspirants are, FDC’s Norma Susan Okedi, Yellen Akol Odeke, and NUP’s Marion Alupo.

They were accused of not being registered voters in the parishes of Korea, Malera, and Kotolut respectively, contrary to the electoral law which requires aspirants to be registered in the areas where they seek nomination.

The case was filed  by a concerned voter from Bukedea  Ziporah Akol, who petitioned the court through her lawyers, Alaka and Company Advocates.

Akol sought to block the nomination of the three women while arguing that during the voter register display exercise in May 2025, formal objections were raised against the trio’s registration, claiming they were neither residents nor legitimate voters in the affected parishes.

Despite recommendations from local Tribunal members to delete their names from the register, Akol says the three continued to campaign and solicit support ahead of nominations, prompting her to seek court intervention because the EC had not yet exercised its mandate to either confirm or dismiss the recommendations of the Area Tribunals. 

When the case came up for hearing before a Kampala  High Court Judge Simon Peter Kinobe, the Electoral Commission, which was sued alongside the aspirants, informed court that it had given the three women a chance to present evidence during a meeting held on October 2nd, 2025, but none of them submitted any evidence to challenge the tribunal findings.

In an affidavit sworn by the Acting Secretary, Kamugisha Baabo, the Commission stated that the ten days granted to the respondents were sufficient, leading to its confirmation of the tribunals’ decisions.

The EC decision effectively bars FDC’s Okedi, NUP’s Alupo, and Odeke from contesting for the Bukedea Woman MP seat currently held by Speaker Among.

Meanwhile, the trio has asked Justice Kinobe to grant them more time to file their response to Akol’s petition — a request the judge has allowed, reserving his decision on the matter until further notice.