TWO ARUA NRM LOSERS DEMAND ELECTION RE-RUN

(L-R) Debo ronalld and Samanya Daphine Draza

By Dramadri Federick
Arua

Two candidates who lost in the NRM primaries in Arua City have filed petitions with the NRM Party Secretariat in Kampala, citing irregularities during the election process.

These include Samanya Daphine Draza, who contested for the Woman Member of Parliament flag bearer position, and Debo Ronald, who ran for Arua Central Division Member of Parliament under the NRM.

Samanya Draza, who competed alongside two other women—including the incumbent Maurine Osoru who secured 14,191 votes, finishing second to Osoru, who received 26,041 votes. The third candidate, Shiellah Princess, garnered 9,520 votes out of 49,752 voters who participated in the race.

Daphine's petition rests on five groundsincluding: inconsistencies in vote tallying, intimidation of agents, bribery of election officials by opponents, result manipulation, and vote rigging.

She argues that, some of the official declaration forms, especially from the wards, were manipulated  stating that, certain votes appeared to have been deducted from her tally and added to her opponents’, raising concerns about the transparency and fairness of the results.

Similarly, Ronald Debo, who received 3,391 votes, which placed him second, behind the winner, Atima Jackson Lee Buti, who obtained 4,658 votes. Other contestants in that race included Obiga Brian Godfrey with 663 votes and Swaleh Haruna with 488 votes, out of a total of 9,200 votes cast.

Debo is requesting the nullification of results in certain parts of Central Division and a re-run of the election.

“There was no fairness in the process. I even protested to the Electoral Commission in Arua, asking why they relied on a form submitted by a candidate when the registrars didn’t sign it. We protested that the declaration forms from Atima’s camp should not be considered, but the electoral commissioner went ahead with tallying the votes,” Debo explained.

“If you look at some of the declaration forms from the wards, especially Kenya Ward—which has 10 cells—nine of these were contested. In some cases, votes were deducted from my tally and added to Atima’s,” he added.

Meanwhile, James Emvi, the Arua City NRM Party Administrator confirmed that, the party secretariat has received notifications about the two petitions and has instructed the office to prepare a defense, as required by the other candidates involved.

“We have received two complaints—one from Samanya Daphine Draza, who contested for Woman MP in Arua City, and another from Debo Ronald for Arua Central Division. They have already reached Kampala, and we have been notified of their petitions. Their concerns are not only about electoral malpractice but also involve other issues,” Emvi said.

This situation reflects broader challenges faced in many political contexts, where allegations of vote tampering, procedural irregularities, and lack of transparency can undermine public confidence in electoral processes, highlighting the importance of electoral integrity, robust oversight, and the need for political parties to uphold fairness for the legitimacy and stability of democratic governance.

This situation also reflects broader challenges faced in many political contexts, where allegations of vote tampering, procedural irregularities, and lack of transparency can undermine public confidence in electoral processes.

However, the party’s Secretary General has established a five-day window for the filing of all petitions related to the primaries, underscoring the importance of a transparent and fair electoral process within the party which is expected to end by Tuesday 22nd July, 2025.