By Alexander Mackey Okori
Kotido District incumbent Woman Member of Parliament and the NRM flag bearer, Margaret Aleper Achilla has dragged Nuria Hasfa Teko and the Electoral Commission to Court challenging her victory in the 2026 parliamentary polls.
The challenge comes a month after the Electoral Commission published the 2026 Parliamentary results in the Uganda Gazette.
Nuria Teko, the outgoing LCV vice chairperson for Kotido District and Female District Councilor, representing Rengen Sub-County who contested as an independent was on January 16, 2026, declared the winner of the January 15, 2026, Parliamentary race by the Kotido District Returning Officer, Julius Ongom Ogwang.
According to the official declared results, Nuria Teko polled 28,820 votes against Aleper’s 25,952 votes.
However, Aleper, through her lawyer Ms. Sail Advocates, has petitioned Moroto High Court seeking the nullification of Nuria’s victory over voter bribery and multiple voting.
In her petition dated March 4, 2026, Aleper claims that on January 14, 2026, at around 8:00 to 9:00 p.m, Eng. John Mark Loiki, and Joseph Lochoro Lochiam, among other agents of Nuria, were reportedly seen giving out money between Shs3000 and Shs20, 000 to the voters of Nakapelimoru Centre, Watakau West, and Lokatap in order to induce them to vote for her.
According to the petition, Nuria Hasfa Teko and her agents Emmanuel Lodio, and closed aides offered alcohol to voters in different villages with intentions to persuade them to vote for her, contrary to section 87 (5) of the Parliamentary election Act Cap 177.
She contends that there was noncompliance with electoral laws such as Parliamentary Act, the Electoral Commission Act Cap 176, and the 1995 Constitution of Republic of Uganda as amended, by the Electoral Commission which affected election outcome.
Aleper claims that whereas voting took place within the regular time of 7:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m, the Electoral Commission failed to return result of Umu Umu 1 polling station in West division, with a total number of 489 registered voters and declared the results contrary to the law”, the petition reads in part.
“The results from Umu Umu 1 polling station in Western Division were not included in the tally sheet which the Electoral Commission (2nd respondent) based on declaring the first respondent Nuria Hasfa Teko as the winner of the election”, the petition reads in part.
The petitioner further alleges that there were critical variations in the results of the directly elected member of Parliament against those of the Woman Member of Parliament, a contrast which depict failure by the second respondent (Electoral Commission) to conduct free and fair exercise contrary to article 61 (a) of the1995 Constitution.
“There was a variation of 890 votes of the directly elected Member of Parliament against the Woman Member of Parliament; Aleper noted citing 006 Polling Station in Rengen Sub-County where a variation of 234 votes was reported.”
It’s against these grounds among other irregularities that Aleper is seeking Court to annul the victory of Nuria Hasfa Teko as the Kotido District Woman Member of Parliament elect.
The petition is backed by the affidavits of John Paul Longira, a resident of Loodoi village in Rengen Sub-County, Agnes Akello Lokochil of Narikapet village, Narikapet ward, Kotido Central Division, and Angelina Nanger, a resident of Nakaal central village, Nakaal ward, in South Division.
Court has given Nuria Hasfa and the Electoral Commission ten to respond to the petition before the hearing date is fixed, warning that failure to comply, the petitioner will proceed with the petition which may be determined in their absence.
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