UPC sweeps Lira city divisions leadership positions as midnight standoff halts tallying

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Tension gripped the Lira city tally centre deep into the January 27, 2026, night after chaos erupted during the reading of results from Anaiober Ward, forcing security to intervene and temporarily halt the exercise.

The standoff unfolded as the Electoral Commission returning officer, James Aggrey Ipeto, began announcing the Anaiober Ward results for Lira city west division. Almost immediately, members of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) loudly protested, accusing the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) of inflating figures in favour of its candidates.

The protest quickly escalated. UPC president Jimmy Akena, flanked by his wife Betty Amongi Ongom, their cousin Mike Ogwang Olwa—the former Lira City mayoral aspirant—and City East Division mayoral aspirant Emmanuel Ebong Opeto, stormed the returning officer’s table in a dramatic show of dissent. Outside and inside the hall, supporters chanted angrily, accusing the NRM of electoral theft.

Amid the uproar, Ipeto appealed for calm, explaining that he was reading results as declared at individual polling stations to allow parties to cross-check with their own records.

He assured the aggrieved camp that any discrepancies could be formally raised and addressed. Despite his attempt to pause the process and set aside the results, the shouting continued unabated.

At about midnight, district Police commander (DPC) of Lira City Central Police Station, Apollo Kyagungu, arrived with reinforcements. An anti-riot truck, its siren blaring, rolled into the compound as officers moved in to restore order.

The intervention disrupted the tallying process. At 1:15am, Kyagungu ordered all NRM members to vacate the tally centre. They complied without resistance. Four minutes later, at 1:19am, UPC members were also ordered out of the room. They initially resisted but eventually complied after a stern warning.

Dozens of heavily armed Police officers, soldiers and plainclothes operatives remained inside the hall together with electoral officials. Akena and Amongi were allowed to stay behind, although tensions remained high. Amongi’s police bodyguard, dressed in a black uniform, was at one point roughly handled by fellow officers as security tightened.

At 1:24am, journalists covering the process were also ordered to leave the room, and shortly afterwards, everyone who had been outside was instructed to vacate the entire compound, leaving only authorised personnel inside.

By about 1:35am, reports emerged that candidates had been recalled to return to the tally centre, raising hopes that the exercise would resume.

By the time of filing this report, however, the official results for Lira City division chairpersons and councillors had not yet been released, as the city waited anxiously for clarity after a night of high political drama.

After 3:00am, UPC's Denis Peter odongo Odúl was elected city east mayor, while UPC's Emmanuel Ebong Ipeto, was elected city west mayor.