The Returning Officer Benjamin Ewal declared Moses Ocan, an independent candidate in Pager Division with 168 votes, as the winner in the race. He also later erroneously declared Samuel Olara, an independent candidate in Central Division as the winner of the LCV Councilor's seat.
There was drama at the Kitgum Electoral
Commission tally centre when the Returning officer announced persons with the lowest vote count as the winners of the LCV Councilor positions in Local Government council elections held on Wednesday.
The Returning Officer Benjamin
Ewal declared Moses Ocan, an independent
candidate in Pager Division with 168 votes, as the winner in the race. He also later erroneously
declared Samuel Olara, an independent candidate in Central Division as the winner
of the LCV Councilor's seat.
The declaration, however, sparked protests among the candidates and their agents who had been projected winners. For instance, in Pager Division, FDC’s
Charles Odera Otto had garnered a total of 723 votes against Ocan who was instead pronounced winner of the race with just 168 votes.
Otto demanded that the anomaly
be rectified since the summation of declaration forms from the various polling
stations put him in the lead against all his opponents.
Luo//Cue in; “Kwir wa otum…
Cue out:…division councillor five.”//
Samuel Ojok Oryem, the Personal Assistant
to Olara, equally raised complaints that the figures read by the electoral
commission returning officer were glared by irregularities and demanded an
audit.
//Cue in; “first of all…
Cue out…court of law.”//
Both Oryem and Odera later
presented their declaration forms to the Returning Officer who later
acknowledged the anomaly and attributed it to a technical glitch with their tallying
system.
After nearly two and a half hours
of verification, Ewal announced Odera as the winner of Pager division LCV Councillor with 723 votes while Frank Kidega won the Central Division LCV Councillor's seat with 780 votes.
