The Court of Appeal in Kampala has ordered the Abim District LC5 Chairperson Capt. Yuventine Omara to vacate Office after finding that he was elected while still a serving officer of the UPDF.

Following the February 2021 election which he lost, Johny De West Ariko petitioned the High Court in Soroti seeking orders for the nullification of his rival Capt. Omara’s victory on grounds that he had not complied with electoral laws.

Omara won the case when Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga of the High Court in August, 2021 dismissed the petition.

Ariko run to the Court of Appeal to challenge the lower court’s ruling and in the resultant judgement, the court set aside the decision and ordered that the case be returned to the High Court for it to be tried on its merits.

The resultant hearing of the case said Omara thrown out of office as Abim LC5 chairperson, prompting him to challenge the same before the Court of Appeal.

On Tuesday, three justices of the appellant court including Egonda Ntende, Catherine Bamugemereire and Eve Luswata ruled that Omara was not validly elected.

The trio directed that after Omara vacates office, his opponent is declared winner.

The justices of the Court of Appeal informed the Electoral Commission to gazette Ariko as the new LC5 chairperson for Abim.