National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate James Leku Pili has been elected Member of Parliament for Adjumani West Constituency, defeating independent candidate Gasper Draga in the September 17 by-election.
Adjumani Electoral District Returning Officer Eunice Christine Akao declared Leku elected after he secured 12,423 votes, according to the Electoral Commission. Draga received 2,559 votes.
The election was held to fill the parliamentary seat left vacant by the death of former MP and retired Gen Moses Ali on July 18, 2026. The Electoral Commission had scheduled the by-election for September 17, with polling conducted at 114 polling stations across the constituency.
The constituency had 51,437 registered voters, comprising 27,573 women and 23,864 men.
However, only about 15,216 voters participated in the election, according to Daily Monitor, representing less than one-third of registered voters. The newspaper reported that low turnout delayed the opening of some polling stations, with voters in several areas initially at work or in gardens.
The race was initially expected to involve four candidates: Leku, Draga, independent candidate Ben Anyama and independent candidate Patrick Tandrupasi. Anyama and Tandrupasi subsequently withdrew, leaving Leku and Draga on the final ballot.
Leku entered the parliamentary contest after winning the NRM primary earlier in September. He narrowly defeated Anyama in the party contest, obtaining 9,336 votes against Anyama’s 9,152 — a margin of 184 votes.
The parliamentary seat had been held by Gen Moses Ali, a veteran politician who represented the area for decades. His death triggered the by-election, which the Electoral Commission said had to be conducted within 60 days of notification of the vacancy.
The Commission said preparations for the poll included updating the voters’ register, displaying it at all 114 polling stations, conducting candidate nominations and organising the distribution of polling materials.
The Commission had reported that the campaign period, which ran from September 8 to 15, was generally peaceful.
With Leku’s election, Adjumani West now has a new representative in Parliament following the death of the constituency’s long-serving legislator.
