EC HALTS SWEARING-IN OF SOME LC’S IN ARUA CITY AMIDST COMPLAINTS

The five affected LC1 Chairpersons of Ayivu Division. (Photo by Onzoma Albert).

By Onzoma Albert

Arua City

The Electoral Commission has suspended the swearing-in of five LC1 Chairpersons in Ayivu Division, Arua City, following complaints from opponents who lost in the recent LC1 and LC2 elections.

During the swearing-in ceremony for LC1 and LC2 Chairpersons in Ayivu Division, the Electoral Commission instructed the Office of the Town Clerk of Arua City and Ayivu Division to postpone the swearing-in of the five affected LC1 Chairpersons until the complaints against them are resolved.

The affected cells are Andewa and Rupa Cells in Yabiavoko Ward, Ekarakafe Cell in Adalafu Ward, Oluodri Cell in Ariwara Ward, and Ezova Cell in Driwala Ward.

Swadick Abiriga, LC1 Chairperson of Ezova Cell in Driwala Ward, stated that neither the Electoral Commission nor the Office of the Arua City Town Clerk informed him about the complaints raised against his election victory.

He pledged to follow up with the relevant authorities regarding the matter. “I have just received this information now that I have complaints in Electoral Commission against my victory but in the actual sense EC should have served with the copy of the complaint, and I don’t know where the complaints are coming from yet I won the election genuinely,” he said.

Osman Ezale, Electoral Commission’s Returning Officer for Arua City, confirmed that no formal election petitions were received during the recent local council elections.

However, five complaints were lodged against the affected LC1 Chairpersons and have since been submitted to the Electoral Commission headquarters for further guidance and directives.

“Those people had brought up those complaints which we send to the EC headquarters but we have not got reply and we are still waiting for directives from the headquarters but the affected LC’s will be sworn in verification,” he said.

Counsel Henry Odama, Arua City Senior Legal Officer, affirmed that the five affected Chairpersons will be sworn in once the complaints are addressed by the Electoral Commission.

“Some wards were affected for the reasons that complaints came over from other contestants, so we could not swear in those affected LC’s following guidance from the Electoral Commission that those complaints should first be entertained then at an appropriate time the LC’s will be sworn in at a later date” he said.

Resident City Commissioner Rt Maj Betty Akello Otekat urged the affected Chairpersons and community members to remain calm and peaceful while the Electoral Commission handles the complaints.

“I want to assure the communities of some of those affected cells in Ayivu Division that let them remain calm and peaceful as Electoral Commission works around to address the matter, let them not fight, quarrel and not conflict with one another because everything will be addressed as planned” she said.

The swearing-in ceremonies will be rescheduled by the Electoral Commission and the Office of the Arua City and Ayivu Division Town Clerk after the complaints have been resolved.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis