Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among has formally petitioned the Electoral Commission (EC) to gazette her as Bukedea District Woman Member of Parliament unopposed, ahead of the January 2026 general elections.
In a letter dated October 31, 2025, filed through Alaka and Company Advocates, Among and several other sitting Members of Parliament requested the EC to publish the names of all candidates declared elected unopposed for the 12th Parliament (2026–2031).
Among those who filed similar petitions include Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North), Catherine Akumu Mavenjina (Older Persons, Northern Uganda), and Ruth Rujoki Mushabe (Kiruhura Woman MP), among others.
The request follows the nationwide nomination exercise conducted by the EC on October 22 and 23, 2025, for directly elected and district woman parliamentary seats.
At the close of nominations, the returning officers in several constituencies declared a number of candidates unopposed, in line with Section 31(1)(b) of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Cap. 177).
The law stipulates that “if at the close of nominations only one candidate has been validly nominated, that candidate shall be declared elected unopposed.”
According to documents seen by this publication, Among’s legal team argues that since no other valid nomination was submitted for Bukedea Woman MP, she is by law deemed elected unopposed and therefore should be gazetted without further delay.
“The law is clear that where a single candidate is validly nominated, that candidate stands elected. We are simply asking the Electoral Commission to comply with its statutory duty by gazetting the names accordingly,” the petition reads in part.
The Speaker’s legal representatives further noted that gazetting the names early would help “provide legal certainty” to Parliament and political actors as preparations for the 2026 polls intensify.
However, Among’s unopposed declaration has not gone unchallenged. Norma Susan Otai, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate for Bukedea Woman MP, has petitioned the EC tribunal, seeking to overturn Among’s unopposed status.
Otai claims she was illegally blocked from submitting her nomination papers on October 23. She accuses the police and electoral officials at the Bukedea nomination centre of deliberately denying access to opposition aspirants.
“I arrived at the nomination venue in time, but I was told to wait. Later, I was informed that nominations had closed while I was still outside the gate,” Otai testified before the tribunal on Tuesday.
She argues that the actions of the authorities infringed on her constitutional right to stand for public office, and she wants the EC tribunal to extend the nomination period to allow her to submit her papers and contest the election.
Her petition is among several others currently before the EC tribunal, where aggrieved aspirants from across the country have filed complaints challenging unopposed declarations in their respective constituencies.
When contacted for a comment, EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi confirmed receipt of several petitions, including Among’s request for gazettement and Otai’s challenge.
Mucunguzi emphasized that the Commission is still within its mandate to gazette all unopposed candidates before the 2026 elections.
“The electoral laws anticipate scenarios where only one candidate is successfully nominated. In such cases, the returning officer announces that the candidate is duly elected unopposed, effective on the date of the elections,” he explained.
He further noted that while the legal status of unopposed candidates is not in doubt, the Commission would complete due administrative procedures before issuing the official gazette.
“The Commission is fully aware of its legal obligations and will gazette the unopposed candidates in due course,” Mucunguzi added.
Political Analyst Andrew Otim says the Speaker’s continued dominance in Bukedea reflects her strategic influence in Teso Sub-region politics, bolstered by her position as Speaker of Parliament and her extensive development record in the constituency.
However, the opposition has criticized the trend of unopposed declarations, arguing that it undermines democratic competition.
According to EC data, a total of 2,711 candidates were nominated for 519 parliamentary seats across the country. These include 353 directly elected MPs, 146 District Woman Representatives, 20 Special Interest Group seats, and 10 UPDF representatives.
The Commission is expected to publish the final list of unopposed MPs once all nomination-related petitions are disposed of.
Meanwhile, parliamentary campaigns are officially scheduled to begin on November 10, 2025, running through early January, ahead of the general elections on January 15, 2026.
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