The National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer for the Bukedea Woman Member of Parliament (MP) seat, Florence Asio, on Sunday, October 26, 2025, refuted claims by her own party that she had been kidnapped by the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, as she headed for nomination.
The statement came after NUP accused Among, the incumbent Bukedea Woman MP, of allegedly abducting Asio before her nomination on October 23, 2025, an incident the party said allowed Among to be declared unopposed.
However, in a video message shared online, Asio denied the allegations, apologized for the confusion, and explained that her decision to withdraw from the race was due to family pressure, not abduction.
“My name is Florence Asio, the NUP flag bearer for Woman MP, Bukedea District. I am here to clear the air about the rumours that I was kidnapped by the Speaker, as alleged by my party. I wish to categorically state that I was not kidnapped,” Asio said.
“My decision not to appear on the nomination grounds came out of family pressure, being that I am a daughter to the Speaker. My intentions to contest came on short notice, and my family was not aware of it. When they learned about it on the day of my unveiling, they were shocked and pressured me to step down. I couldn’t withstand it any longer. Thank you for your understanding,” she added.
Asio’s disappearance last week had sparked widespread concern within NUP, which accused Among of orchestrating her abduction to block competition.
Among was later declared unopposed for the Bukedea Woman MP seat.
NUP had unveiled Asio as its candidate on October 20, 2025, in a ceremony presided over by NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine.
During the event, Kyagulanyi accused the Electoral Commission (EC) and the courts of being used to remove other potential contenders from the race.
“Anita Among, using the Electoral Commission and the courts, had the NUP candidate, the FDC candidate, and an independent candidate removed from the voters’ register to block them from contesting against her in Bukedea,” Kyagulanyi claimed in a statement.
Following the close of nominations on October 23, 2025, Speaker Anita Among expressed gratitude to her constituents and announced plans to focus on national campaign efforts for President Yoweri Museveni ahead of the 2026 general elections.
“I have received reports from my district that I am unopposed. I give gratitude to God and to my people of Bukedea for trusting me to serve them. I will now dedicate my energies to campaigning for our party chairman, President Museveni,” Among said in an interview with New Vision.
Among, together with her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa, remains unopposed in their respective races for the 2026 elections.
She had earlier predicted her unopposed status while speaking to journalists shortly after her nomination on October 22, 2025, at the Bukedea District Electoral Commission offices, where she presented her credentials to District Returning Officer Joel Mugyenyi.
“I am grateful I was duly nominated for Woman MP Bukedea District. I thank the people for entrusting me with this responsibility. Even if I wasn’t unopposed, I would still be voted by 98%. Inshallah, I will now focus on the President’s campaign,” Among said confidently, adding that she expected a 99% victory in the January 15, 2026, elections.
Among was accompanied to her nomination by several high-profile figures, including former Vice President and Speaker Edward Ssekandi, State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang, and fellow NRM flag bearers, Isiagi Opolot (Kachumbala County) and Beecham Okwere (Bukedea County).
She later addressed a massive rally at Bukedea Comprehensive Stadium, drawing thousands of supporters.
Meanwhile, on October 21, 2025, NUP’s Kyagulanyi reiterated his accusation that the EC and courts had unfairly sidelined other women candidates from the Bukedea Woman MP race.
He cited cases involving Mercy Marion Alupo (NUP) and Norma Susan Otai (FDC), whose applications to block their removal from the voters’ register were dismissed by the High Court in Kampala.
Justice Simon Peter Kinobe, presiding over the Civil Division, ruled that the applicants had not presented sufficient grounds for the temporary injunctions they sought.
He directed the parties to proceed with the main petition seeking reinstatement on the register.
The EC was granted two days to file its affidavit in reply, after which the applicants would submit their rejoinder.
Earlier, on October 8, 2025, Alupo and Otai had petitioned the High Court to quash the EC’s decision to delete their names from the Bukedea Constituency voters’ register.
They also sought a permanent injunction restraining the EC from conducting any election activity for the Bukedea Woman MP seat until their case was heard.
In their petitions, Alupo said she is ordinarily resident in Kotolut Parish, Kidongole Subcounty, Bukedea County, while Otai stated that she resides in Kopeta Parish, Kolir Subcounty, Bukedea District. Both argued that their names had previously appeared on the national voters’ register.
They alleged that on October 1, the EC summoned them late at night and instructed them to appear before it the next morning without explanation or copies of any complaints.
They further claimed that the EC, acting on recommendations from parish tribunals in Kotolut and Kopeta, deleted their names on grounds that they were not residents of Bukedea, an accusation they deny.
Source: New Vision Online
About Author
