Africa-Press – Uganda. Former National Female Youth Parliamentary aspirant of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Diana Ampaire, has spoken publicly about her reaction to the February 6 election results and her next steps following the declaration of independent candidate Mercy Kanyesigye as the winner.
Speaking to Canary Mugume during the Next Big Talk hosted by Next Radio on Thursday, Ampaire addressed questions about whether she would challenge the election outcome in court. She chose to keep the details private, citing the involvement of her campaign team.
“I beg to keep that to myself because I have a campaign team I work with. Personally, I think the accountability I wanted the country to know is already out there and has been seen,” she said.
Branding herself as a woman of faith, Ampaire emphasized the role of belief and divine providence in her campaign.
“I’m a believer; all this campaign was built on faith and God. At the end of the day, I believe my victory should not come in vain, and I believe that God had control of each and every thing,” she noted.
She also acknowledged the unexpected nature of her competitor’s win, saying, “Even her (Mercy Kanyesigye), I think that win was a surprise to her at some point.”
Ampaire expressed gratitude to her party for its support, stressing that the NRM played a crucial role in her campaign.
“My party didn’t let me down; personally, I would not have managed such a highly monetized election if it weren’t for the party,” she said.
Regarding potential collaboration with the declared winner, Ampaire was unequivocal.
“Definitely, why not? I will work with her,” she said.
The Electoral Commission declared Mercy Kanyesigye the winner of the February 6 election held at Hoima City Stadium, where she defeated Ampaire by a narrow margin of 16 votes.
A total of 440 youth delegates participated in the vote.
According to official results, Kanyesigye, running as an independent candidate, secured 216 votes, while Ampaire received 198 votes. Julia Muhumuza, also an independent, garnered 24 votes, NUP’s Edith Namande received one vote, and one vote was declared invalid.
Following the announcement, Ampaire filed a petition challenging the results, alleging that some votes counted for Kanyesigye rightfully belonged to her and requesting a recount.
The recount, initially scheduled for February 17, was later canceled after authorities discovered significant tampering with the ballot box. The court subsequently upheld the victory of Mercy Kanyesigye.
