FDC fronts Moses Attan as sole candidate for Soroti East by-election

Soroti, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Moses Attan Okia, the ejected Soroti East Member of parliament has bounced back unopposed as the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party candidate ahead of the by-elections.

The Soroti FDC registrar, Juma Opolot declared Attan the sole FDC candidate on Tuesday.

This came a day after the Electoral Commission issued a road map for the Soroti East MP by-elections on Monday. According to the roadmap, the nomination of candidates will take place on July 18th and 19th followed by campaigns between July 21st and 26 while polling will take place on July 28th, 2022.

On May 24th, 2022, the Court of Appeal declared the Soroti East MP seat vacant on grounds that the Electoral Commission failed to conduct free and fair elections. The judgment stemmed from an appeal by a voter challenging the annexation and transfer of Opiyai and Aloet wards from Soroti East to Soroti West after the nomination of the candidates, which disfranchised and denied over 4,560 voters the right to exercise their constitutional right to vote for the leader of their choice.

Court further pronounced that at the time of voter verification, the people of Opiyai and Aloet wards were verified and confirmed to fall under Soroti East thus the sudden change left voters at a loss and confused as to where they belong and whom to vote for as they were presented with ballot papers of strange candidates than the ones they expected to see and were known to them.

A section of politicians in Teso have encouraged Attan to get ready for the new race to reclaim the seat. Moses Emabu, the Amuria district LCV chairperson says that he shares Attan’s pain of losing a seat after his victory. He wished him well and prays that the Almighty God helps him to emerge victorious.

Godfrey Omolo, the Katakwi district LCV chairperson urged Attan to calm down, accept and come to terms with what has happened, and get ready to join the race again. Hellen Agojo, the Central Ward female councilor in Soroti City East has pledged to support Attan to wrestle back the seat.

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