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The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has conceded defeat but decried what it has termed as a smear campaign against its candidate in the Dokolo District Woman MP byelection.

On March 21, 2024, Dokolo went to the polls to elect the Woman Member of Parliament (MP) following the demise of seasoned and veteran politician Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal.

According to the election results released by Electoral Commission's Dokolo district returning officer, Erikwaine Ngobi, at Dokolo district council hall, Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party flag-bearer Sarah Aguti Nyanghkori won the seat with a landslide.

FDC party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat said although FDC lost, he is happy that UPC, which is an Opposition political party won, instead of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

“The UPC were unfair to us in portraying our candidate as foreign to Dokolo and that played down in the mind of the population in Dokolo. We were attacked by the negative propaganda against our candidate and it did affect our performance in the race but as FDC we welcome the results,” he said.

Nyanghkori garnered 23,044 votes, while her closest rival Janet Rose Adongo Elau of the National Resistance Movement garnered 14,001 votes.

FDC flag-bearer Dr Rosemary Alwoch Ogwal said: “Falling does not mean you can not stand. I accept the defeat and I congratulate my sister upon the victory. That is the will of the people of Dokolo and I welcome it”.

Meanwhile, Cecilia Ogwal's daughter Dr Rosemary Austin Alwoch Ogwal of the FDC got 8,168 votes, National Unity Platform NUP candidate Harriet Ageno garnered 727 votes, Esther Akullo (independent) got 790 votes, and her counterpart, Rebecca Arao, obtained 439 votes.

Rosemary Alwoc Ogwal, FDC candidate shakes hands with UPC party president Jimmy Akena after the defeats

The total number of invalid votes were 988, out of the total of 47,169 votes cast. A total of 95,691 voters registered in the 173 polling stations from 14 sub-counties in the district, according to the election results announced by returning officer Ngobi.

The election of Nyanghkori now brings the number of UPC flag-bearers to eight in Parliament. 

Ngangkori to unite

Ngangkori pledged to unite all five contestants in the interests of developing Dokolo.

“I am delighted for the people of Dokolo for entrusting me as their representative in the 11th Parliament. I will interest myself in uniting all the five colleagues who contested with me and focus on developing Dokolo without political, religious, or tribal differences. I strongly believe with their ideas together we can shape Dokolo,” she said on Thursday.

Peaceful Election

Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byamukama hailed the candidates and the different political parties for actively participating in the byelection and maintaining peace.

“Perhaps the greatest gratitude should go to the people of Dokolo who came out of their own homes and houses and thronged to the 173 polling stations to exercise their democratic rights. In some stations, I witnessed the queues of voters waiting patiently undeterred by the scorching sunshine. I was particularly impressed by their camp, peaceful and composed manners at the polling stations I visited,” he said.