Hon. Benard Atiku, the incumbent Ayivu West Member of Parliament has accused the ruling party – NRM of highest levels of vote riggings which marred the recently concluded party primaries.
Atiku made these remarks yesterday while making appearances to the media at parliament. He expressed his dissatisfactions in the electoral results for Ayivu West County in Arua City which according to him contained irregularities.
He revealed his decision to run as an independent candidate in the 2021 presidential and parliamentary elections after he lost the NRM flagbearer polls to Lematia John.
Atiku, also the former shadow minister for defense and veteran affairs had earlier in August denounced his mother party – the Forum for Democratic Change (fdc) to join National Resistance Movement (NRM).
He expected he would hold NRM flag in the general elections little did he know that tragedy would befall onto him.
Atiku ambushed the party tribunal which was set up to reconcile, hear petitions stating that the tribunal is allocated limited time to hear petitions.
He vowed never lodge his petition to the party tribunal but to rather run as independent. He added that he will not quit the party.
The name Atiku came into limelights in 2017 after he was caught on cameras fighting Arua Municipality MP Col. Ibrahim Abiriga (now deceased) in parliamentary corridors for supporting the amendment of the presidential age limit in what came to be known as “Tojikwatako” Article 102(b) Amendment Bill, 2017.
Background.
In the hotly contested NRM flagbearer polls for Ayivu west constituency in Arua city, Incumbent Atiku scored only 4,485 votes losing to Lematia John who garnered 10,129 votes. Ayikobua Denis obtained 4,151 votes putting him in the third position while Bada Fred and Anguyo Denis garnered 2,677 and 310 votes respectively.
Atiku didn’t concede defeat and has decided to run as independent.
