The Gogonyo Constituency byelection would not have happened if main opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) had accepted its candidate Joseph Okoboi Opolot’s request to officially withdraw his name from the list of nominated candidates.
But declining to officially cancel his nomination by writing to Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama’s Electoral Commission (EC) communicating this position, the electoral body was left with no option but to hold the byelection.
Although he had pulled out of the race and was supporting NRM candidate Derrick Orone, Okoboi, who was also supported by the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) which had withdrawn its candidate from the race in the name of opposition unity, appeared on the ballot paper and some people voted for him.
Unlike Okoboi, independent candidate Issa Taligola Bantalib successfully pulled out of the race, and openly supported Orone, saying he had seen the light and that the NRM candidate was the best best for Gogonyo.
According to official results released by Daniel Othieno, the returning officer of Pallisa Electoral District, Okoboi got 519 votes.
NRM’s Orone won the election after garnering 19,199 votes.
At 8:15, Othieno declared Orone the duly elected Gogonyo Constituency MP.
“Accordingly, as Returning Officer for Pallisa Electoral District and in accordance with Section 58(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act (as amended), I declare Derrick Orone, who has obtained the largest number of votes to be the elected candidate for Gogonyo County Constituency, Pallisa District,” the returning officer announced.
It should be remembered that after meeting the Teso cultural leader, NUP’s Okoboi announced that he had withdrawn from the race. (Read Story Here).
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