The Electoral Commission (EC) has declared the Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development, Phiona Nyamutoro, unopposed in the Nebbi Woman Member of Parliament race after her only challenger was found to have submitted forged endorsement signatures.
The decision follows an EC ruling that nullified the nomination of National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Mercy Rebecca Abedican after two individuals listed as her seconders denied signing her papers. The Commission will formally declare Nyamutoro unopposed on November 17, 2025, in Nebbi District.
In a ruling dated November 13, 2025, EC chairperson Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama said Abedican failed to meet the legal requirements for nomination.
“The commission, having made the above observation, in its meeting of November 7, 2025, under MIN. COMM 040/2025 resolved that candidate Abedican Mercy Rebecca was not eligible for nomination to contest for Woman Member of Parliament, Nebbi District, since she failed to comply with the said provision of the law,” Justice Byabakama stated.
The case stemmed from a petition filed by Godfrey Ongiera and Jimmy Bediic, whose names and signatures appeared on Abedican’s nomination documents. Both men told the Commission they had not endorsed her. During the hearing, Ongiera presented evidence showing he is a member of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), insisting he could not have seconded a candidate from the National Unity Platform.
Justice Byabakama said Abedican failed to provide “satisfactory evidence” to counter the forgery claims. The Commission concluded that her nomination violated Section 28(1)(c) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, Cap. 177, which requires valid supporter signatures from registered voters.
The EC ruling also reversed an earlier decision by the Nebbi District Returning Officer, who had initially accepted Abedican’s nomination.
“Accordingly, the decision of the Returning Officer, Nebbi District, nominating candidate Abedican Mercy Rebecca is hereby reversed and candidate Phiona Nyamutoro is to be declared elected unopposed as Woman Member of Parliament for Nebbi District,” the communication reads.
Nyamutoro had already secured a decisive victory in the July NRM primaries, defeating incumbent Agnes Acibu. With the nullification of Abedican’s nomination, she now becomes one of the uncontested NRM candidates heading into the 2026 general elections.
