Africa-Press – Uganda. Long-serving Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Peter Teko Lokeris, has rejected the outcome of the NRM primaries in Chekwii East Constituency, accusing electoral officials of orchestrating a flawed process marred by irregularities, voter manipulation, and conflict of interest.
The official results announced on July 17, 2025, saw Stephenson Lokoru Yoyo declared the winner with 2,930 votes.
He was followed by Joshua Losuru with 2,434 votes, while Minister Lokeris came third with 2,360 votes. Michael Longok trailed with 144 votes.
However, Lokeris insists the election was anything but free and fair.
“The first red flag was the date stamp on the declaration form,” Lokeris said.
“It was stamped on 1st July 2025 — more than two weeks before the election even took place. That alone suggests the results were predetermined.”
In a strongly worded statement, the minister also raised alarm over what he described as a serious conflict of interest.
He claimed the returning officer who announced the results — District NRM Registrar Augustine Lomilo — is a blood brother to the declared winner, Stephenson Lokoru Yoyo.
“This is a classic case of conflict of interest. The same official overseeing the vote is directly related to one of the candidates. How can we expect fairness under such circumstances?” Lokeris asked.
Residents and polling agents supporting Minister Lokeris have also raised grievances.
Many allege that during the voting exercise, voters were lined up to show support for their preferred candidates, but election officials then brought a poster of Lokoru to the longest line — effectively redirecting votes in his favour.
In several rural polling stations, Lokeris’s supporters say their agents were violently chased away, and no police presence was deployed to safeguard the process.
“There was open intimidation, and known goons were used to create chaos,” said Rose Nakiru, a supporter of the minister.
“In some areas, relatives of Lokoru Yoyo were appointed as polling assistants. They manipulated the vote count.”
Further anomalies were reported during the tallying process.
According to Lokeris’s team, declaration forms from different villages bore multiple signatures from the same presiding officer — in clear violation of NRM’s electoral guidelines, which stipulate one officer per polling area.
When objections were raised at the tally centre, the complaints were allegedly ignored.
“What was read at the tally center was completely different from what our agents had recorded from the field,” said Ronald Lokeris, lead tally agent for the minister.
In response to the accusations, District NRM Registrar Augustine Lomilo denied any wrongdoing.
“There were no irregularities. The process was calm and peaceful,” Lomilo said.
“The vote swung based on sub-county loyalties. Tokora Sub-county voted overwhelmingly for Lokoru because he’s from there. Lemusui backed Losuru. The rest — Nakapiripirit Town Council and Moruita — split their vote.”
He also dismissed the claim of being related to the winner.
“I’ve served in this role for nearly ten years. My integrity has never been in question. The outcome reflects the will of the people,” Lomilo said.
As tensions simmer in Chekwii East, the NRM Electoral Commission in Kampala is facing growing pressure to investigate the claims.
Minister Lokeris, who has served in government for decades, maintains that he will not accept the outcome unless a fresh, independent audit of the vote is conducted.
The dispute adds to a string of controversial NRM primaries in the Karamoja sub-region, where widespread dissatisfaction and allegations of rigging have unseated several incumbents — and where the fight for political control is increasingly defined by questions of fairness rather than just numbers.
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