Voting came to a halt at Wanglobo Primary School Polling Station in Oyam District on Thursday morning after armed men escorted by some National Resistance Movement-NRM party members and the police, grabbed ballot books, ticked them, and dropped them into the ballot box.
Polling is currently going on to replace the late Charles Okello Engola Macodwogo who was killed by his bodyguard, Pte Wilson Sabiiti in May.
Walter Waco, the Presiding Officer at Wanglobo Primary School, reported the incident to his supervisor, indicating that the armed men arrived in a police patrol vehicle and demanded five booklets, each containing 50 ballot papers, which they took and returned to the box.
At the time of the disruption, only 18 out of the 555 registered voters at the polling station had cast their votes.
Hon. Jimmy James Michael Akena, the Uganda People’s Congress-UPC Party president, accused the NRM party of rigging the elections, claiming that the NRM was afraid of losing.
But Dr. Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson denied the allegations and instead accused the opposition of causing chaos and blaming it on the NRM. Odoi challenged Akena to provide evidence to support the claim that the NRM was behind the disruption.
The exchange between Akena and other opposition politicians became heated as tensions rose. After three hours, the Electoral Commission delivered new voting materials for a fresh round of voting.
Similar incidents were reported at Acokara and Baromele Primary Schools in Otwal Sub County, Oyam District.
This comes after the Electoral Commission Chairperson on Wednesday directed security personnel to impound all numberless vehicles seen around polling stations in Oyam North County. Byabakama argued that people driving numberless vehicles cause chaos around polling stations.
“So please candidates, don’t bring any groups of youths or the elderly people from other neighboring areas for purposes of this by-election because they are not voters. Secondly, vote protectors that are not a phenomenon provided for under the law.” He added.
Four candidates are contesting to replace the late Engola. They are Dr. Eunice Apio Otuko from UPC, NUP candidate Daniel Okello, the NRM party candidate and Engola’s son Samuel Engola Okello, and Freddy from Forum for Democratic Change-FDC.
