Pader Court Has Dismissed Odonga-Otto’s Application
Pader Court Dismisses Odonga-Otto’s Application
Vote Recount Rejected
Pader Chief Magistrate’s Court has dismissed Samuel Odonga-Otto’s vote recount request, which challenged the Aruu County election result.
Case Background
Odonga-Otto, an independent candidate, contested Christopher Komakech’s victory in the NRM. Komakech secured 10,455 votes, narrowly defeating Odonga-Otto, who garnered 10,429 votes.
Alleged Irregularities
Odonga-Otto alleged vote irregularities across 12 polling stations, citing malfunctioning Biometric Voter Verification Machines (BVVMs), which invalidated 175 of his votes.
Discrepancy in Invalid Votes
Odonga-Otto also highlighted a wide discrepancy between invalid votes in parliamentary and Woman MP races, with 407 votes invalidated in the former and only 46 in the latter.
Court Decision
The court dismissed the recount petition, agreeing with the Electoral Commission that the final tally was accurate despite procedural errors admitted by the Returning Officer.
Assistance from Lawyer
Odonga-Otto, representing himself in court, was supported by his lawyer, Kenneth Akena, in presenting his case.
EC’s Defense
Despite acknowledging errors, the Returning Officer stood by the declared results, asserting the accuracy of the final count.
