IGANGA – The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Ms Brenda Asinde Suubi has been declared winner of the Iganga District woman MP by-election.
Ms Asinde garnered 43,197 votes while her closest rival Ms Mariam Nantale of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) got 24,077 votes.
The three independent candidates who include Ms Oliver Kwagala , emerged the third with 1,212 votes , Asha Babirye walked away with 7,052 votes and Ms Aziza Kakerewe was the last with 689 votes.
Ms Asinde was declared winner of the by-election at exactly 03:00am by the Iganga District Returning Officer Ms Mercy Ataho.
“As the returning officer of the area , in accordance with section 58 of the parliamentary Elections Act , I declare Ms Aside Brenda Suubi who obtained the largest number of votes winner and district representative to parliament,’’ She said.
Before declaring the winner, Ms Ataho announced that out of the 382 polling stations, ballot papers from 378 polling stations had been counted while those from the other four polling stations had been over violence.
“ We have cancelled four polling stations and cases are being handled by police. These include Nabitovu polling station in Nakigo sub county ,cancelled after the valid and invalid votes exceeded the number of registered voters at the polling station , Bupingo primary school polling station in ibulanku Sub County where polling was interrupted, ballot boxes with its content together with ballot papers , booklets were grabbed by un know persons,’’ she said.
“Another one is Bulubandi primary school polling station in Nakigo Sub County where a group of people disguised as voters raided the polling station, beat up the polling officials, grabbed the unused ballot papers, marked them, broke the seals of the ballot boxes and stuffed the box with marked ballot papers and Nakalama p/s M-Z polling station, we did not receive the results,’’ she said.
However, Ms Nantale refused to concede defeat saying the election was marred with intimidation, bribery and ballot stuffing.
Ms Nantale said she will sit with her party and lawyers to decide the next step of action.
