The National Unity Platform has decided not to field a candidate in the upcoming Soroti East Constituency by-election in Soroti city.
The party secretariat said Thursday that they will be backing the Forum for Democratic Change candidate (FDC) candidate, Moses Attan.
“We have taken the decision not to field a candidate in the upcoming by-election for Soroti East Constituency in Soroti City. As the National Unity Platform, we will back the FDC candidate, Hon. Attan Moses,” the party revealed.
NUP says the decision was done in the broader interest of the unity of the forces of change but also the belief that Attan legitimately won the previous election.
“Although we had very good potential candidates in Soroti, we are doing this in the broader interest of the unity of the Forces of Change. We believe that Hon. Attan legitimately won the previous election which was interrupted by a court decision.”
“Therefore, we shall be supporting him, and rallying the people of Soroti to take him back to Parliament. We are stronger when we come together!” the statement added.
In May this year, the Court of Appeal ejected Moses Attan from Parliament and declared the Soroti East MP seat vacant.
Court noted that the Electoral Commission (EC) failed to conduct free and fair elections.
This followed an appeal by one of the voters who challenged the annexation and transfer of Opiyai and Aloet wards from Soroti East to Soroti West after the nomination of the candidates, which disfranchised and denied over 4,560 voters the right to exercise their constitutional right to vote.