PALLISA: Residents of Gogonyo Constituency in Pallisa could get a new Member of Parliament without voting after two candidates pulled out of the race, two days to the polling day, leaving the ruling NRM party candidate, Derrick Orone, unopposed.
Issa Taligola (Independent) and Okoboi Opolot (NUP) on Tuesday announced they had stepped down in favour of Orone but the final acceptance of their decision rests with the Electoral Commission, which is yet to announce itself on the matter, ahead of Thursday, August 11, the expected polling day.
The NRM party has also urged its members not to celebrate yet, saying there are some legal technicalities that need to be addressed by the two withdrawing candidates before the National Electoral Commission declares Orone unopposed.
“Until we get an official communication from EC, we cannot claim to have sealed this victory,” the ruling party said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This is therefore to ask all our party members and the individual supporters of our candidate to continue with all the necessary arrangements for the Thursday polls,” NRM added.
On Tuesday, President Museveni campaigned for the NRM candidate.
“To the people of Gogonyo County, I urge you to support the NRM and Derrick Orone, he is the one that can present your problems to us. The elections are about you, politics employs one person then what about the rest? We want everybody to be involved in getting out of poverty,” he said at the campaigns.
“I commend the decision by his competitors to step down and welcome them to the NRM, an all-inclusive party,” he added.
The seat fell vacant after the Court of Appeal ruled that the incumbent, Derrick Orone, was irregularly elected following a petition by his rival, Issa Bantalib Taligola.