Bukedea Woman Member of Parliament, Hon. Among Anita has become the 7th ruling National Resistance Movement – NRM candidate to secure a seat in the 11th parliament after emerging unopposed in Bukedea district.
In the recently concluded nomination exercise, the Bukedea electoral commission had nominated 7 candidates for the district parliamentary race.
The nominated candidates include; Incumbent Among Annet Anita, Malinga Sophie, Jessica Asio, Mary Eveline Akongot, Mary Gorete Kitaka, Naume Ekenare, and Ketty Akello.
However, Mr. Raymond Kisarale, the Bukedea district returning officer said that the nomination of these candidates was challenged by different petitioners who challenged the electoral commission to look into the irregularities during their nomination.
“After nominations, we forward to electoral commission head office. EC hears and determines complaints arising from nominations for the failed nominations and nominated candidates,” he said.
The electoral commission after hearing all the complains about the nominated candidates, dismissed all the other candidates on grounds that they failed to raise the minimum requirements.
It should also be noted that two voters recently petitioned the electoral commission challenging the nomination of Hon. Anita citing inconcistatancy in her names. However, the electoral commission quashed this petition.
When contacted for a comment, she said that the only task ahead of her is to campaign for president Yoweri Museveni to secure votes in Teso.
She now joins the other six mps who also joined the 11th Parliament unopposed. Ik county in Kaabong district, Bugahya county in Hoima district, Buyamba County in Rakai district, Nakaseke North in Nakaseke district, Arua district woman representative and Buyanja East in Kibaale district had been declared unopposed.
This is the second time that Hilary Lokang for Ik and Pius Wakabi for Bugahya were elected unopposed.
For Gyaviira Ssemwanga, he defeated the current MP for Buyamba Amos Mandela in the NRM primaries and he chose not to come as an independent candidate. Arua district’s Lilian Paparu Obiale, Buyanja East’s Emely Kugonza, and Nakaseke North’s Enock Nyongore were new faces contesting in the recently created constituencies.