Bukedea, Uganda: Hellen Odeke Akol, a fierce political contender in Bukedea District, is once again facing what she describes as a calculated plot to block her from contesting for the Woman MP seat in the 2025 elections, a position currently held by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Among.
Akol says she has become a victim of electoral sabotage, forged documentation, and abuse of institutional power. This is the second time in five years she is being subjected to legal and political manoeuvres aimed at frustrating her parliamentary bid.
The saga began during the Electoral Commission’s voter register update, where Akol discovered that her name had mysteriously been removed from the national voter roll at the Bukedea District office. Yet, when she contacted the Commission’s headquarters in Kampala, her records were intact.
The shock deepened when Akol checked the NRM party register and found her details missing there too, an exclusion that would automatically disqualify her from participating in the party primaries. She raised the matter with President Museveni, the NRM National Chairperson, and also petitioned the Party Secretary-General.
An internal probe confirmed that her name had been deliberately deleted from the register. The Secretary-General then reinstated her status and issued a certified registration record, after which she paid nomination fees.
However, according to Akol, NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi rejected her application and refused to issue her nomination forms. “You’ve wasted your money,” he reportedly told her.
Akol appealed again to the Secretary-General, who on June 10 informed her that forensic experts had found her name in the register had been blotted out using ink but was still visible underneath. A directive was issued instructing Dr. Tanga to hand over the nomination forms, but she was never given the documents.
The situation escalated further when Akol was served with a court summons on Friday, June 13, with the hearing curiously set for Monday, June 16, giving her almost no time to respond. The application was filed by one Akol Zipola, allegedly a relative of Speaker Among.
The lawsuit alleges that Hellen Akol fraudulently registered in Ocekereni village and is not a true NRM member, accusing her of affiliation with the opposition FDC. Akol has dismissed these claims as political blackmail. “I am not and have never registered at Ocekereni village,” she said.
This episode echoes the events of the 2020 elections when Akol’s candidature was nullified through a legal challenge based on a name-change issue. Although the courts later ruled in her favor, the delay had allowed Among to go unopposed.
Now, history appears to be repeating itself. The court hearing on the latest challenge is set for July 17, well after the June 30 nomination deadline. Meanwhile, Dr. Tanga Odoi has already declared Rt. Hon. Among unopposed, a move that has triggered accusations of electoral foul play.
“Is this what democracy has become in Bukedea?” Akol asked. “How can the interests of one individual override those of an entire district? How can one person manipulate all arms of government and get away with it?”
The fierce political against Speaker Among is now appealing to President Museveni to step in and prevent what she calls “a hijacking of democratic space by a self-serving clique.”
Akol’s campaign now hinges on public outcry, judicial fairness, and political will at the highest level. Whether or not she appears on the ballot, her story raises urgent questions about internal party democracy, electoral transparency, and political accountability in Uganda.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative anews platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp for realtime updates.
