The Arua High Court has set November 13, 2026, to deliver judgment in a petition challenging the election of Madi-Okollo District LC5 Chairperson Drabe Ismail Adiris over alleged irregularities in the Declaration of Results Form from Lionga Primary School Polling Station.
The judgment date was set by Justice Celia Nagawa, the presiding judge of election petitions at Arua High Court, after the conclusion of a two-day cross-examination of witnesses in the case. Independent candidate Onzima Bruno filed the petition against Drabe as the first respondent and the Electoral Commission as the second respondent, seeking to nullify the election results on grounds that a wrong Declaration of Results Form was used at Lionga Primary School and that the figures were altered.
Court heard during the cross-examination that two different Declaration of Results Forms were used to record results from Lionga Primary School Polling Station in Rigbo Sub-county, Lower Madi-Okollo County, and that both forms were received by the Electoral Commission. According to the certified Declaration of Results Form held by the Electoral Commission, Drabe obtained 176 votes at the polling station, while Bruno received 42 votes. Another independent candidate, Oyemy Antes Asedri, received no votes.
However, another Declaration of Results Form, also signed by polling station agents and Presiding Officer Korobuga Francis, shows a different set of figures. The document indicates that Drabe received 76 votes, while Bruno obtained 142 votes. Oyemy again received no votes. Bruno is challenging the results on the grounds that the figures on the Declaration of Results Form were allegedly altered to favour Drabe during the January election.
Speaking to Uganda Radio Network after the court session, Bruno said he remained optimistic about the outcome, saying the witnesses had testified and his lawyers had presented their case. “We are looking forward to getting justice because our case was very simple. It was just one polling station, so we are optimistic. Our lawyers and witnesses did their best,” he said.
Drabe, however, expressed confidence in the case, saying he was relying on what he described as the authentic Declaration of Results Form, whose results were announced to voters during counting at the polling station before being entered on the form and transmitted to the tally centre.
Drabe said the witnesses he presented, his lawyers and the Electoral Commission had provided evidence supporting the authenticity of the declared results. He denied that the figures were altered, saying the results were publicly announced, signed by all polling agents, confirmed and certified by the Electoral Commission before the official declaration during the tallying process.
“So, for that, I know we are hopeful that the judgment will favour us. I am so excited for the hearing,” he told URN. During cross-examination, the court also heard that Madi-Okollo District Woman Member of Parliament Joanne Aniku Okia objected to the tallying process at the district tally centre, questioning why the results from Lionga Primary School did not match the expected figures.
According to testimony heard by the court, the objection was followed by a tense situation at the tally centre, prompting Returning Officer Olet Samuel to call for a break and suspend the tallying process. The Lionga Primary School results were subsequently skipped and scheduled to be considered last. Court further heard that after a demand was made to open the ballot box, two Declaration of Results Forms bearing different figures were reportedly found.
The Returning Officer then consulted the Presiding Officer and decided to use the form that had been filled out first at the polling station. Following the conclusion of the cross-examination, Justice Nagawa directed the parties to file written submissions before the judgment. The petitioner is required to file submissions by October 10, 2026, while the respondents have until October 20, 2026, to respond.
A rejoinder is expected by October 24, 2026. In the January 2026 General Election, Drabe retained the Madi-Okollo District LC5 chairperson position after securing 16,014 votes against Bruno’s 15,917 votes, according to the Electoral Commission’s Declaration of Results-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
