NRM’s Leku Pilli Declared Winner Of Adjumani West By-Election With 12,423 Votes

By Swift Reporter

National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate James Leku Pilli has been declared the new Member of Parliament for Adjumani West County after winning Thursday’s parliamentary by-election with 12,423 votes.

Leku defeated independent candidate Gasper Draga, who obtained 2,559 votes, giving the NRM candidate a margin of 9,864 votes.

Adjumani Electoral District Returning Officer Eunice Christine Akao declared Leku elected at 8:31 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at the Adjumani District Council Hall after results from the constituency had been tallied.

According to the official results, 14,982 valid votes were cast. The Electoral Commission recorded 15,216 ballot papers counted, including 234 rejected ballots, while 19 ballots were listed as spoilt.

Leku’s 12,423 votes represented approximately 82.9 per cent of the valid vote, compared with Draga’s 17.1 per cent.

Final Results

The Returning Officer declared Leku elected after determining that he had obtained the largest number of votes, in accordance with Section 77(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act.

The by-election was organised following the death of Gen. Moses Ali on July 18, 2026. Ali was a veteran military officer and senior NRM politician who represented Adjumani West for decades and served in several senior government positions, including as Deputy Prime Minister.

The election initially attracted four candidates: Leku, Draga and independent candidates Ben Anyama and Patrick Tandrupasi. However, Anyama and Tandrupasi formally withdrew before polling day and, consequently, their names did not appear on the ballot papers.

Anyama subsequently backed Leku, while President Yoweri Museveni also campaigned for the NRM candidate during the final stages of the race. Museveni called for unity among supporters of the different candidates and urged them to rally behind Leku.

Leku’s journey to the parliamentary seat began with the NRM primary held on September 3, where he emerged as the party’s flag bearer after defeating six other contenders. He secured 9,336 votes, representing 37.2 per cent of the votes cast in the party primary.

The Electoral Commission had registered 51,438 voters in Adjumani West and established 114 polling stations for the by-election. Preparations included updating the voters’ register, displaying it across the constituency and deploying biometric voter verification equipment.

Polling proceeded throughout the constituency, although reports indicated relatively low turnout at some stations during the morning hours. The withdrawals of two candidates shortly before polling were among factors cited in reports about voter participation.

With his victory, James Leku Pilli now takes over the Adjumani West parliamentary seat previously held by Gen. Moses Ali and will serve for the remainder of the current parliamentary term.