High court dismisses election petition filed against Lira Woman MP

Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The High Court in Lira has dismissed with cost an election petition filed against Linda Agnes Auma, the Lira District Woman MP.

This petition was filed by Bony Aliro, a voter from Aromo sub county in Lira district who accuses the Electoral Commission of nominating and declaring Auma a winner yet she lacked academic documents. He also faulted Auma for failing to resign from her position as Resident District Commissioner Amuru district.

Auma who contested against three contestants polled 22,086 votes. The other candidates were Akello Gloria who got 1,947 votes, Margret Joy Ateng Otime got 19,716 votes and Ongina Florence got 1,904 votes.

On Tuesday, the petition was dismissed by Justice Vincent Emmy Mugabo on grounds that Aliro and his witnesses who swore affidavits did not produce evidence that they are registered voters of Lira district.

Speaking outside court, Auma who could not hold back her tears insisted that her academic documents are genuine. She said that the petition was meant to disrupt her work.

Auma’s lawyer Paul Idambi said that Aliro was supposed to present the petition with signatures of registered voters in the constituency to support the petition. He said that the witnesses who swore affidavits did not have a polling station to identify them, no voter identification number while some of them lacked genuine national identity cards and the signatures were forged.

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