James Leku Pilli Wins Adjumani West MP By-Election

The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has secured the Adjumani West parliamentary seat with James Leku Pilli declared the winner of the recent by-election. Pilli garnered an impressive 12,423 votes, significantly outpacing his closest rival, independent candidate Gasper Draga, who received 2,559 votes.

The Electoral Commission announced the final results at the Adjumani District Council Hall, with Returning Officer Akao Eunice Christine formally declaring Pilli the victor. The election, held to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Gen (Rtd) Moses Ali on July 18, 2026, saw a total of 14,982 valid votes cast across 114 polling stations.

Leku Pilli’s campaign focused on key development priorities, including infrastructure projects like the Laropi Bridge, upgrading Adjumani Town Council to municipality status, and enhancing the Ciforo Health Centre III. Gasper Draga, meanwhile, centered his campaign on education, skills development, and promoting commercial agriculture.

The by-election initially featured four candidates, but two, Ben Anyama and Patrick Tandrupasi, later withdrew. Anyama cited an appeal from President Yoweri Museveni as his reason for withdrawal, while Tandrupasi stated his decision was for the sake of unity and cohesion in Adjumani West and publicly backed Pilli.

Despite generally smooth polling operations, including the timely arrival of materials and functioning biometric verification kits, observers noted a low voter turnout by the close of polls at 4 pm. The election covered Adjumani Town Council and surrounding sub-counties, parishes, and villages.

James Leku Pilli now officially takes his seat as the Member of Parliament for Adjumani West Constituency, succeeding the late Gen Moses Ali.

Source: Nile Post