Over 1,000 displaced persons fail to vote in Lira
Feb 24, 2006
OVER 1,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Lira Municipality
By Patrick Okino
OVER 1,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Lira Municipality did not vote in the Thursday presidential and parliamentary elections.
Some IDPs from PCU, Lango cultural centre, LPC and Ireda turned up with voters’ cards but found that their names were missing from the register.
Presiding officer PCU polling station Geoffrey Okello said only 372 voters registered but over 1,000 turned up.
“Voters were moving from one station to another looking for their names but there was nothing,†Okello said.
He said there was some commotion when the voters found out that their names were missing.
“We shall petition the electoral commission,†said most of the voters. District registrar Denis Ebong said some people registered twice and their names were deleted from the municipality register.
“These are people who ran to Lira municipality and sought for transfer, while their names were not removed from their original counties,†Ebong said.
The IDPs from Moroto,Otuke and Erute North, fled to Lira municipality in 2003 when the LRA infiltrated their home areas.
OVER 1,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Lira Municipality did not vote in the Thursday presidential and parliamentary elections.
Some IDPs from PCU, Lango cultural centre, LPC and Ireda turned up with voters’ cards but found that their names were missing from the register.
Presiding officer PCU polling station Geoffrey Okello said only 372 voters registered but over 1,000 turned up.
“Voters were moving from one station to another looking for their names but there was nothing,†Okello said.
He said there was some commotion when the voters found out that their names were missing.
“We shall petition the electoral commission,†said most of the voters. District registrar Denis Ebong said some people registered twice and their names were deleted from the municipality register.
“These are people who ran to Lira municipality and sought for transfer, while their names were not removed from their original counties,†Ebong said.
The IDPs from Moroto,Otuke and Erute North, fled to Lira municipality in 2003 when the LRA infiltrated their home areas.