Uganda’s electoral body, the Electoral Commission (EC), is expected to hold a crisis meeting over Omoro County byelection candidate Andrew Ojok Oulanyah’s academic papers and name discrepancies.
The EC closed the Omoro County byelection nomination exercise last week, clearing six candidates to run in the May 26 poll. These candidates are: Ojok of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Justine Odong of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Oscar Kizza of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Simon Tolit Aketcha of National Unity Platform (NUP) and independent candidates Jimmy Walter Onen and Terence Odonga.
But NRM candidate’s academic papers and order of names are being challenged by ANT’s Kizza, who says the names under which Ojok was nominated are not different from what appears on his academic papers. In short, Kizza says that Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama’s EC nominated another person who is not Oulanyah’s son.
Kizza has not only petitioned the EC but has also threatened to go to court to compel the commission to disqualify Ojok or even halt the election process. After last week’s completion of the nomination process, campaign meetings and rallies started on May 16 and are expected to end on May 24, the day when President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni will campaign for NRM candidate Ojok.
Sources have told this publication that the EC has invited Kizza and Ojok for a meeting where the issues of Oulanyah son’s academic papers and name discrepancies will be discussed.
The meeting is expected to happen today, Thursday, May 19, in Kampala. After hearing from both parties, the Commission is expected to make a ruling and inform Ojok and Kizza. If dissatisfied with the EC’s determination, Kizza can go to courts of law.
According to ANT’s Kizza’s Oulanyah’s son Ojok was illegally nominated and has no qualifications to stand as a member of parliament. (Read Story Here).
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