Court asked to dismiss petition against Lira District Woman MP

Lira, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Electoral Commission-EC has asked court to dismiss an election petition filed against the Lira District Woman Member of Parliament. The EC argues that the witnesses who swore affidavits are not registered voters.

The petition was filed by a concerned resident Bonny Aliro, against Agnes Linda Auma.

Aliro accuses the Electoral Commission of nominating and declaring Auma winner yet she lacked academic documents. Auma is also faulted for failing to resign from her position as Resident District Commissioner, Amuru district.

When the petition came up for hearing on Monday before Justice Vincent Emmy Mugabo, Auma’s lawyers told the court to dismiss the petition. Auma’s lawyer Paul Idambi told the court that the people who swore affidavits are not voters and that the signatures attached to their names are forged.

According to Idambi, the petition is intended to waste the court’s time. He also asked the court to compel Aliro to declare his source of income and the properties he owns to ascertain whether or not he will be in a position to meet the costs of the petition should he lose the case.

Osmas Ejale, the EC lawyer told the court that out of the 566 names of voters supporting the petition, only 299 are in the database of the Electoral Commission.

Aliro’s lawyer Joe Fay Adoko agreed that the National IDs and signatures of some voters supporting the petition are missing. However, he told the court that people can register to vote from other districts away from their residence.

Justice Mugabo later adjourned the session to scrutinize the national IDs and voter identification and rule on the matter.

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