SOROTI CITY EAST BY-ELECTION UPDATE: Ariko Officially Presented to Museveni as NRM Flagbearer

 

Edmund Herbert Ariko has officially been introduced to President Museveni also NRM Party Chairman as the Flagbearer for Soroti City East MP by-election.

Ariko was presented to the President by the NRM Secretary General, Richard Todwong yesterday 27th June 2022 at the President’s residence in Ntungamo.

Present were the Vice President, H.E Jessica Alupo, NRM Vice Chairman Eastern, Hon. Mike Mukula and the NRM National Vice Chairman, Al Hajji Musa Kigongo.

The President who met the NRM leaders called for unity ahead of the by-elections.

On 15th June 2022, NRM Delegates sitting at Jeresar High School in Soroti City picked Ariko as their flagbearer throwing out the holder, Jimmy Ekemu.

Ariko now seen as a stronger challenger to Moses Okia Attan, FDC’s flagbearer will face off with the latter on 28th July 2022.

According to the Electoral Commission’s road map, the by-election for the Soroti East MP by-elections will commence with the nomination of candidates on July 18th and 19th followed by campaigns between July 21st and 26 while polling will take place on July 28th, 2022.

Earlier FDC declared Moses Attan Okia, the ejected Soroti East Member of parliament back unopposed as the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party candidate ahead of the by-elections.

On May 24th, 2022, the Court of Appeal declared the Soroti East MP seat vacant on grounds that the Electoral Commission failed to conduct free and fair elections.

The judgment stemmed from an appeal by a voter challenging the annexation and transfer of Opiyai and Aloet wards from Soroti East to Soroti West after the nomination of the candidates, which disfranchised and denied over 4,560 voters the right to exercise their constitutional right to vote for the leader of their choice.

Court further pronounced that at the time of voter verification, the people of Opiyai and Aloet wards were verified and confirmed to fall under Soroti East thus the sudden change left voters at a loss and confused as to where they belong and whom to vote for as they were presented with ballot papers of strange candidates than the ones they expected to see and were known to them.