The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Election Disputes Tribunal has dismissed an election petition Parliament Egabu Rose Joan challenging the declaration of Jessica Leah Amigo as the duly elected NRM flag bearer for Soroti District Woman Member of Parliament.
The Tribunal, chaired by John Musiime and assisted by members Begumya Rushengoza and Tonny Tumukunde, ruled that the petitioner had failed to prove allegations of electoral malpractice to the required legal standard.
The petition arose from the NRM party primary elections held on July 17, 2025. Jessica Leah Amigo was declared the winner with 42,453 votes, while her closest rival, Egabu Rose Joan, garnered 12,139 votes.
Unconvinced by the results, Hon. Egabu filed a petition alleging a wide range of irregularities, including:
- Bribery and vote buying
- Intimidation and obstruction of agents
- Falsification of results
- Use of underage and ineligible voters
- Manipulation of voter registers
- Misuse of security personnel to influence voting
- Disenfranchisement of supporters
Represented by Mr. Katende Simon of Najjuma Nakalule & Co. Advocates, Hon. Egabu sought the nullification of the results and a fresh election.
In defense, Jessica Leah Amigo was represented by Mr. Kwemboi Joshua Yeko of Roots Advocates and Mr. Opio Abraham of Omongole & Co. Advocates.
After careful scrutiny of the evidence presented, the Tribunal found that most of the petitioner’s claims lacked merit or were insufficiently substantiated.
The only irregularity the Tribunal confirmed was an instance of underage or ineligible voting at Agule Polling Station. However, this alone was not enough to warrant a rerun.
“It could not have been that at the said polling station, the Respondent scored the 35,314 votes difference the Petitioner needed to tie or win the election,” the ruling reads in part.
The Tribunal further examined key polling areas cited by the petitioner as having been compromised, such as Kantine Sub County, Amusia III, and Onukai.
However, all Declaration of Results (DR) Forms from these areas were duly signed by agents of both parties, including those of the petitioner, and bore no signs of tampering or forgery.
In fact, tallying the DR Forms from the disputed areas revealed the following:
- Petitioner (Egabu Rose Joan): 1,455 votes
- Respondent (Jessica Leah Amigo): 2,186 votes
Even if all allegedly irregular results were excluded, Amigo’s lead remained insurmountable, standing at over 45,000 votes.
“The Petitioner did not produce any alternative tally or provide evidence that, excluding the impugned results, she would have emerged the winner,” the Tribunal noted.
Citing Regulation 44(1)(a) and Section 80(1)(a) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, the panel reiterated that to overturn a primary election, there must be both evidence of irregularities and proof that such irregularities substantially affected the result.
In this case, the burden of proof was not met.
The Tribunal issued the following orders:
1. The Petition is hereby dismissed.
2. The declaration of Jessica Leah Amigo as the duly elected NRM flag bearer for Soroti District Woman Member of Parliament is upheld.
Supporters of Jessica Leah Amigo welcomed the ruling as a vindication of her victory and popularity across Soroti District.
Many took to social media and community radio stations to celebrate what they called “justice served.”
Speaking after the ruling, a jubilant Amigo urged for unity within the party.
“Now that the Tribunal has spoken, I call upon my sister Hon. Egabu and her supporters to join me in building the NRM and preparing for the general election. Soroti needs us united, not divided,” she said.
Egabu Rose Joan has yet to issue a formal statement on whether she will appeal the ruling or support the party going forward.
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