EC bans use of numberless vehicles as Dokolo votes woman MP

The Electoral Commission (EC) has banned movement of numberless vehicles in Dokolo as the district goes to the polls to elect the area Woman Representative in Parliament today.
 
In most cases, the numberless vehicles which comprise drones, police patrol cars, Resident District Commissioner (RDC’s) double cabins and executive cars are driven by the ministers, and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) bigwigs.
 
Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama, the EC chairperson, has directed the head of security in the Dokolo parliamentary by-election to ensure that no numberless vehicle plies any road within the area.
 
The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr Ashraf Chemonges, is the officer who is manning the security in the by-election.
 
“Chemonges, if you see a numberless vehicle don’t question, just arrest all the occupants. If anyone puts up resistance, you know what to do. So, if you have come with that kind of inclination or intention, please be forewarned, that won’t be entertained,” the EC chairperson said at the stakeholder’s engagement meeting in Dokolo District on the eve of the polling day.
 
He also explained that the authority at polling stations is the preserve of the presiding officers by law.
 
“So, they (presiding officers are the people in charge of polling stations, not anybody squeezing him and purporting to take over,” he said.      
 
Additional dos and don’ts
 
The tally centre is only accessible to those who are fully accredited by the EC but the candidates have been allowed to access the facility.
 
The Commission appealed to candidates, their agents, the supporters and all stakeholders to conduct themselves in accordance with the law.
 
“I will not go to the polling station and take it over because I’m the chairman, No! I have to give due respect to the presiding officer. I’m saying this because in some by-elections, we have had some people take on the mantra of taking over certain processes at polling stations,” Justice Mugenyi noted.
 
“I hope this will not happen in Dokolo, and I’m glad the Inspector General of Police is still sticking to his work because I told him you have been deploying a certain officer in these by-elections but in his presence this manyanga (confusion) keeps continuing. I don’t want that man in any by-election again. That is when he brought in Chemonges.”
 
Dr Tanga Odoi, the chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, however, reacted: “You (EC) allowed some people to play victim in Oyam [North parliamentary by-election in July 2023] when they're the perpetrators of injustice and we kept quiet. And once they won, you were the best commissioner they have ever seen even beyond the 1980 election commission.”
 
Mr Fred Ebil Ebil, the secretary general of the opposition Uganda People's Congress (UPC) party, asked the EC boss to empower his staff in the field with powers to stop people with intention of rigging the election from accessing the 173 polling stations scattered across Dokolo.
 
Background
 
The country’s electoral body cleared seven candidates to run for the parliamentary seat, which became vacant following the death of Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal on January 18.
 
However, Dr Grace Hanna Lalam, an Independent candidate, stepped down just three days to the election after she “lost interest” in the seat. 
 
The battle is now between the late Ogwal’s daughter, Dr Rosemary Alwoch of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, Ms Harriet Ageno of National Unity Platform (NUP), and Ms Janet Rose Adongo Elau Okello of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. Others are Ms Sarah Aguti Nyangkori of Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party, Dr Esther Akullo Obot Otada and Ms Rebecca Arao, all independent candidates.