Trending : Lira High Court Concludes Hearing of Oyam South Election Petition

Lira High Court Concludes Hearing of Oyam South Election Petition

Lira High Court has concluded the hearing of a parliamentary election petition filed by Queen Dorothy Amolo challenging the election of Oyam South MP Patrick Ogwang Obura.

Amolo is seeking the nullification of Ogwang’s election, citing discrepancies in her name and a blurred photograph on the ballot paper used in the January 15, 2026 election.

Justice Fatuma Nanziri concluded the hearing after both the petitioner and respondents presented their cases.

Amolo filed the petition against Ogwang and the Electoral Commission Returning Officer for Oyam district, Joseph Omona, alleging that the Electoral Commission used a different name on the ballot paper from the one she used during nomination.

According to evidence presented before court, Amolo said she was nominated as Queen Dorothy Amolo, but her name appeared on the ballot paper as Queen Dorothy Alweny, which she said belonged to another person.

During cross-examination, however, Amolo acknowledged that she had used the name Queen Dorothy Alweny since childhood before changing it to Queen Dorothy Amolo in 2020 when she contested for the same parliamentary seat.

She told court that she became widely known as Queen Dorothy Amolo among households in Oyam.

“Queen Dorothy Alweny who appeared on the ballot paper is a different person. Mine is Queen Dorothy Amolo,” Amolo said, adding that she raised the complaint with the Returning Officer.

Asked whether she participated in voting, Amolo told court that she did not vote because the name appearing on the ballot paper was not the one she was contesting under.

The Electoral Commission declared Ogwang, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, winner with 29,353 votes out of 49,137 valid votes cast at 266 polling stations.

Geoffrey Owili of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) obtained 9,526 votes, while Amolo, an independent candidate, received 3,516 votes. Otto Ishaa of the National Unity Platform (NUP) got 2,083 votes.

Omona, the second respondent, denied being aware of any complaints concerning the ballot paper during the election.

He told court that the election was free, fair and transparent and that no complaint had been raised during the polling process.

Omona acknowledged that there was a discrepancy in Amolo’s name but maintained that her photograph and symbol on the ballot paper were clear, which he said enabled voters to identify her.

Speaking to the media after the hearing, Ogwang expressed confidence that he would prevail in the petition, arguing that Amolo’s complaints would not stand based on the evidence presented in court.

He also questioned the timing of the complaint, saying it was raised two days after the election results had been declared.

“As leaders, we need to tell the truth to guide society, but failure to do that misleads people,” Ogwang said.

He added that he believed the same God who enabled voters to elect him would deliver a positive outcome in the case.

Ogwang said the period of politicking was over and that leaders should now focus on delivering services to the people who elected them rather than engaging in what he described as intrigue and bickering.

Amolo, who represented herself in court, said she chose to litigate the case herself to make a statement that ordinary citizens should not fear seeking justice through the courts.

She said every boy and girl should have the courage to go to court when they believe their rights have been violated.

Amolo expressed confidence that she would win the case when judgment is delivered on November 5.

“That is when people will know that you walked into that courtroom, never relied on a lawyer who made a mistake, and won,” she said.

Justice Nanziri adjourned the case to November 5, 2026, to allow the parties adequate time to file their final submissions and rejoinder.