Last Updated on: 17th July 2023, 10:20 pm
Oyam, July 7, 2023: The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has lost the Oyam North MP seat in a by-election held on July 6. The ruling party came second with 15,161 votes.
While declaring the results on Thursday night, Onoba Richard, the Returning Officer of Oyam Electoral District said Dr Apio Otuko (MP Elect) got 15,718 votes.
Onoba’s final result shows that Okello Daniel of NUP and Okello Newton Freddy of FDC got 403 and 714 votes, respectively.
A total of 31,996 valid votes were cast for both candidates, and 755 rejected (invalid) votes were recorded.
Engola was vying to replace his late father Col Rtd Okello Engola Macodwogo and former Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
NRM primary election
At least four other NRM aspirants were coerced to step down before the primary elections. Amolo refused.
Her refusal prompted the NRM Secretariat officials (especially Dr Tanga Odoi, chairman of the NRM electoral commission) together with Oyam district NRM management to organize a primary election.
Also read: Oyam North: How ‘richer’ those who stepped down for ‘heir apparent’ Engola Jr. will be
Engola was given the party flag after a controversial primary election in which he won with 532 votes. Amolo came second with 322 votes.
After she lost that election, Amolo announced that her next course of action was to stand as an independent candidate. Her dream, however, was ephemeral after Museveni reportedly intervened via a phone call, and directed that she leave the race.
This digital publication understands that all those who stepped down, including Amolo, have graciously got compensated by the party national chairman Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, with each pocketing over shs50m.
An arbitrator in this compensation, a man highly trusted by Museveni, also received a brand-new car.
“Ambitious” Queen
A day after the primary election, Queen Amolo announced she was not competing with Engola Jr – a man she had said was not fit to replace his father.
Read more: Oyam North MP race: “I would support a son not defiant to his late father,” says Queen Amolo
“The people of Oyam North and Lango at large have spoken. Hereditary politics is not an option,” Queen Amolo said on Friday, July 7.
She’s also the first female Ugandan and Lango daughter to express her ambition for Presidency in 2026.