National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate James Leku Pilli has been declared Member of Parliament for Adjumani West Constituency after winning Thursday’s by-election with 12,423 votes.
Adjumani Electoral District Returning Officer Akao Eunice Christine formally declared Leku elected at the Adjumani District Council Hall at 8:31pm on September 17, 2026, according to the official Declaration of Results form.
Leku, who contested on the NRM ticket, defeated independent candidate Gaspar Draga, who secured 2,559 votes.
The official results show that 14,982 valid votes were cast for the two candidates. Leku therefore secured about 82.9 percent of the valid vote, while Draga obtained about 17.1 percent.
The results were:
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| James Pilli Leku | NRM | 12,423 |
| Gaspar Draga | Independent | 2,559 |
| Total valid votes | 14,982 |
The Returning Officer’s form records 234 rejected ballot papers and 15,216 ballot papers counted.
The result gives Leku a winning margin of 9,864 votes over Draga.
The by-election was held to fill the parliamentary seat left vacant by the death of longtime legislator and former First Deputy Prime Minister Gen Moses Ali, who died on July 18, 2026. The Electoral Commission said the seat had to be filled within the constitutional timeframe following notification of the vacancy.
From NRM primary battle to parliamentary victory
Leku entered the by-election after first winning the NRM primary earlier this month.
In the September 3 NRM primary, Leku defeated six other contenders, polling 9,336 votes, equivalent to 37.2 percent, against his closest rival Ben Anyama, who received 9,152 votes.
The wider parliamentary contest initially attracted four candidates, but independent candidates Ben Anyama and Patrick Tandrupasi withdrew, leaving Leku and Draga as the two candidates on the final ballot. The Electoral Commission subsequently confirmed that the two withdrawals were reflected in the ballot papers.
The Electoral Commission had prepared 114 polling stations for the constituency and listed 51,437 registered voters ahead of polling day.
Low turnout
The election was marked by reports of relatively low voter turnout in some polling areas, with the Electoral Commission’s final figures showing 15,216 ballot papers counted out of the 51,437 registered voters.
That represents approximately 29.6 percent of registered voters.
The Daily Monitor reported earlier Thursday that voting in some areas got off to a slow start, with many residents reportedly at work or in gardens before turning up later.
Leku’s victory now formally ends the immediate parliamentary contest triggered by Gen Moses Ali’s death and places the former Adjumani District chairperson in the seat previously held by the veteran legislator.
The official results were declared by Returning Officer Akao Eunice Christine after the constituency tally was completed at the Adjumani District Council Hall.
