By James Alomu
 

SOROTI :Anyimo Harriet has suffered a major legal setback after the High Court in Soroti dismissed her election petition challenging the victory of Edopu Peter Edeku as Member of Parliament for Dakabela County in the January 15, 2026 general elections.

In a judgment delivered on Thursday, November 12, 2026, High Court Judge Justice Dr. Ginamia Melody Ngwatu ruled that Anyimo had failed to prove that the alleged electoral irregularities substantially affected the outcome of the election.

The ruling preserves Edopu’s parliamentary victory, having secured 9,588 votes against Anyimo’s 8,180, giving him a winning margin of 1,408 votes.

She had petitioned court over alleged irregularities in the electoral process, including discrepancies in Declaration of Results Forms, accountability of ballot papers, disputed signatures of polling agents and alleged inconsistencies during the tallying of results.

She particularly questioned the conduct of the election in Oculoi Sub-county and Katine Town Council, arguing that the alleged irregularities undermined the credibility of the declared results.

The petitioner also relied on a forensic handwriting report which questioned the authenticity of entries on several electoral documents presented in court.

However, Justice Ngwatu found that although there were some discrepancies in the electoral records, the evidence did not establish that votes obtained by individual candidates had been altered or that the final results had been substantially affected.

The court further ruled that Anyimo had failed to establish allegations of forgery or demonstrate that Edopu, his election agents or Electoral Commission officials had committed electoral offences.

In another significant development that added to the legal setbacks surrounding the petition, the court struck out Edopu’s response to the election petition after finding that it had been filed outside the statutory 10-day period.

The judge established that Edopu had been effectively served with the petition on March 30, 2026, but filed his response on April 17, seven days beyond the prescribed deadline.

Despite striking out Edopu’s response, the court proceeded to determine the petition on its merits, with the Electoral Commission remaining the second respondent.

Justice Ngwatu emphasised that the responsibility to prove electoral irregularities and demonstrate that they substantially affected the election rested with the petitioner.

Consequently, the court dismissed Anyimo’s petition with costs to the Electoral Commission and declared Edopu Peter Edeku validly elected as the directly elected Member of Parliament for Dakabela County.

The decision brings to an end Anyimo’s legal challenge against Edopu’s election and allows the incumbent legislator to retain his parliamentary seat.

The judgment also underscores the legal requirement for election petitioners to provide sufficient evidence not only of electoral irregularities but also of their substantial impact on the declared election results.