Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has been officially declared unopposed for the Bukedea District Woman Member of Parliament seat ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
The announcement was made by the Bukedea District Returning Officer, who confirmed that no other candidate had submitted nomination papers for the position.
According to Section 31(b) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, if only one person is duly nominated in a constituency, the Returning Officer must immediately declare that candidate elected as Member of Parliament, effective from the designated polling day.
In July, Ms. Among also sailed through unopposed in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries after her sole challenger was disqualified by the party’s Electoral Commission for not being a bona fide resident of Bukedea District.
The nomination process, however, sparked protests from opposition candidates. Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) flagbearer Susan Norma Okedi and National Unity Platform (NUP) aspirant Florence Asio accused the Electoral Commission of deliberately blocking their nominations through what they termed as “technical and procedural delays” at the district headquarters.
Despite these objections, the Electoral Commission maintained that only Anita Among met all the legal and procedural requirements for nomination, thereby confirming her unopposed victory and return to Parliament for another term.
Meanwhile, NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, has raised concerns about the alleged disappearance of their Bukedea Woman MP aspirant, Florence Asio, whose whereabouts are reportedly unknown and whose phone remains switched off.
Other Members of Parliament who have also gone through unopposed include:
Hon. Thomas Tayebwa (NRM) – Rubanda North County MP and current Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
Hon. Paparu Lillian Obiale (NRM) – Arua District Woman MP, who was also unopposed in 2021.
Hon. Ruth Rujoki Mushabe (NRM) – Kiruhura District Woman MP.
