Apac district UPC Chairperson Julu Ojok has been arrested from Otwal Sub County in Oyam North by police for bribing voters into casting their vote for the Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) candidate, Dr. Eunice Apio.
According to Tonny Ayoo, the Member of Parliament for Kwania, Ojok was caught red handed with a plastic bag full of cash and dashing money, together with other UPC supporters from Apac district in order to buy votes for their candidate in the Oyam North by-election that is ongoing today Thursday, July 6, 2023, in Otwal sub county.
Ojok who was commanding a group of ten youths riding on a motorcycle is being detained at Oyam CPS.
Preliminary Police report indicates that Ojok was also found in possession of about Ugx150,000 cash money in small denominations put in a white polythene paper. he is one of those people that were ferried on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 by MP Maxwell Akora.
Police recovered a book containing the list of people believed to have received the money.
“He was arrested with a list of names of people who had already received the money and Police is already investigating the matter at hand,” MP Ayoo said.
Similarly, another UPC supporter yet to be identified has been arrested with a knife he used to intimidate other party supporters and unspecified amount of cash, according to police.
“He used the knife at night to harm other political party supporters, and was arrested body guarding the Apac UPC Chairman who was caught buying votes,” One voter said.
A voter who revealed on condition of anonymity noted that the UPC Party President, Akena made a mobilization from all over Lango including the party leaders from the district and Sub Counties to Oyam North, adding that the group is well facilitated financially.
However, the UPC party President, Jimmy Akena Obote discarded the claims of vote buying saying that his people were arrested innocently, adding that a group of individuals came to a polling station, hijacked ballot papers and started ticking.
He condemned vote rigging, adding that President Museveni had condemned it as well.
The suspects are currently in custody at Oyam Central Police Station as further investigations are ongoing.
