Ogwang Obura Retains Oyam South Seat as Court Dismisses Amolo’s Petition

What the report says

The High Court in Lira has dismissed an election petition by Queen Dorothy Amolo that challenged the election of Patrick Ogwang Obura as Member of Parliament for Oyam South. The case centered on a ballot-paper naming discrepancy in the January 2026 parliamentary vote, with the court deciding that the issue did not materially alter the result.

According to Dokolo Post, Acting High Court Judge Fatuma Nanziri Bwanika found that the Electoral Commission did not fully comply with election requirements when it printed a different name from the one under which Amolo was nominated. However, the judge held that the name printed on the ballot paper was a misnomer linked to Amolo’s former identity, not a substitution of another candidate. The court also noted that her photograph, other names and campaign symbol were enough to help voters identify her.

Ogwang, the National Resistance Movement candidate, was declared the winner of the January 15, 2026 election with 29,353 votes, while Amolo, who ran as an independent, received 3,516 votes. The Electoral Commission announced the results the next day. Amolo had asked for the election to be annulled and for a fresh poll, arguing that the name error, blurred photo and other alleged irregularities affected her candidacy.

The ruling leaves Ogwang’s election intact and awards costs against Amolo. In broader context, election petitions often turn on whether procedural flaws were serious enough to affect the outcome, a threshold the court said was not met in this case.