Nominees promise Oyam North voters better services
UPC party's Dr Eunice Apio Otuku gestures during her nomination by the Oyam Electoral Commission returning officer Richard Onoba at Oyam District Council Hall on June 19, 2023. PHOTO/PATRICK EBONG
What you need to know:
- Four candidates had been nominated by the end of June 19.
- According to EC, the duly nominated include Dr Eunice Apio Otuko (UPC), Freddy Newton, Okello (FDC), Samuel Engola Okello (NRM) and Daniel Okello Daniel (NUP).
- Monitor spoke to some of the nominees on Monday.
Nominated candidates for the Oyam North by-election have promised to improve community livelihood and access to service delivery if they are voted to parliament.
By the end of Monday, the Electoral Commission had cleared four candidates in the race to replace Col (Rtd) Charles Okello Engola Macodwogo. More people were expected to be nominated.
The former Oyam North Member of Parliament, also the state minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations was gunned down by his personal bodyguard, Pte Wilson Sabiiti, on May 2.
On Monday, the opposition Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) flagbearer, Dr Apio Otuku, was successfully nominated prompting the party president Jimmy Akena Obote to say: “We are fronting our candidate and we are going to support our candidate to the end.”
In 2021, ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Engola retained the Oyam North seat after garnering 22,895 votes, beating four others.
UPC’s Apio polled 17,114 votes, Krispus Ayena Odongo (Ind) managed 8, 498 votes, Henry Oboke Edonga and Joe Nam, all Independents polled 175 votes and 140 votes respectively.
The ruling party has picked the deceased’s son, Samuel Engola Junior, as their flag-bearer to replace his father in the by-election scheduled for July 6.
After her nomination, Dr Apio said they are going to embark on mobilising voters to uproot NRM.
“And we are sure that we are going to take the day on July 6,” Dr Apiio remarked as she also “promised economic gains, better education and good health for the people of Oyam North.”
“As UPC, we are always known to draw on the problems of our people as the basis of creating our agenda. And our agenda here is premised on the fact that we are still recovering from the effects of the harm conflict that we have been in for more than 20 years,” she said.
Dr Apio added: “There is a lot of poverty in Oyam County North. When you look at health, we are struggling. When you look at education, we are not performing well. In the last Primary Leaving Examination results, we were almost bottom three nationally. So, there is a lot that we are going to do in the remaining two years of the 11th parliament.”
FDC candidate Freddy Newton Okello (R) accompanied by the former Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Betty Aol Ochan are seen following the nomination of the party's MP aspirant on June 19, 2023. PHOTO/PATRICK EBONG
Freddy Newton Okello, the nominated opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party candidate told journalists that the poverty level of Oyam is alarming.
“…but as a Member of Parliament that you will entrust, I will make sure that each and every homestead has an economic recovery programme within this remaining period that you are going to give me the mandate to represent you in Parliament,” he urged.
