ARUA CITY WOMEN’S COUNCIL ELECTIONS WRAP UP AMID DISRUPTIONS, CLOSE RESULTS, AND REGISTRATION CONCERNS

Osman Ezale, Electoral Commission Returning Officer for Arua City. (Photo: Onzoma Albert)

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

The Women Council Elections in Arua City concluded successfully in most of the 469 cells, though some isolated challenges were reported.

In Anyafio Cell, Mvara ward, Arua Central Division, voting was disrupted when residents claimed their names were omitted from the register in favor of non-residents, causing delays.

Similarly, Ezova Cell in Driwala Ward experienced disruptions when a candidate and flagbearer withdrew during voting without prior notice, affecting the process.

In other cells, close results led to delays in declaring winners—such as in Ocevu Cell, where the victory margin was just one vote, causing disagreements between candidates and a demand for additional voting time.

Vicky Esandru, a resident of Anyafio Central, alleged that her name was omitted from the voters register in favor of non-residents and voters from neighboring cells.

“Residents from other cells also came here and wanted to participate in the elections that is why we are still trying to harmonize the issue, we all know very well that this particular election is designed for the residents of particular cell and if you are not a resident of the particular cell you cannot participate in the election that’s what we are trying to communicate” she said.

Ruth Obiru, another resident of the same area, blamed the cell registration officer for inconsistencies during voter registration.

“I failed to register during the registration process because the first time I didn’t come with identity card then I told the registration officer that I was going to come the following day with my identity card and when I came back he was not on ground to serve us, at the end that’s how I missed been registered and for me I believe some of those things are done deliberately to favor some candidates and ferry machineries somewhere to replace some of us during polling” she said.

Osman Ezale, the Electoral Commission’s Returning Officer for Arua City, confirmed that most elections proceeded successfully with minimal concerns and dismissed reports of irregularities in Anyafio central cell, urging the public to adhere to election guidelines.

“Generally the elections went on peacefully and my appeal to the voters is to always respect the electoral laws by been peaceful and abide by the guidelines issued for the elections, I also want to caution candidates against making sudden decisions of withdrawing from the elections without prior and formal communication, the concerns from Anyafio central cell was supposed to have been handled during the display of voters register why did the residents wait for the voting day to raise such issues” he said.

It was also noted that voting in several cells were not conducted because some candidates failed to nominate for the available women’s council positions and other candidates ran unopposed in other cells.

Despite these challenges, the majority of elections were completed smoothly, with only a few cells facing disruptions due to candidate withdrawals, registration issues and close vote counts, which caused delays and disputes.

The election process demonstrated general efficiency, with authorities emphasizing adherence to established procedures to ensure transparency and fairness in the subsequent elections.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis