The Electoral Commission (EC) has moved to kick out another National Unity (NUP) Nebbi district woman MP candidate Rebecca Mercy Abedican for 2026 elections, paving way for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer also the junior Energy and Mineral Development minister Phiona Nyamutooro to go through un opposed.
Abedican’s disqualification from the hotly contested race is contained in the November 13, 2025 signed commission’s boss justice Simon Byabakama’s ruling.
According to Byabakama’s commission, Abedican’s nomination was discovered with flaws, citing denial of her seconders Jimmy Bediic and Godfrey Ongiera to have signed her endorsement forms.
Impliedly, now, Nyamutooro will any time from now be declared un opposed by the commission amid protest from the largest opposition party NUP leadership.
The EC’s decision has been described as pro NRM party by some political observers, making it to look ugly and biased.
Nyamutooro joins a long list of her party senior cadres who were declared un opposed under circumstances that have since then come to be described by the opposition as fraudulent.
These include among others, speaker Anita Among, her deputy Thomas Tayebwa, prime minister Robinna Nabbanja. Before declared un opposed, Among (for Bukedea district woman seat) faced a challenge from NUP’s Florence Asio who was allegedly blocked by the security from nomination on the nomination day before she could later on pronounce her public alliance with the speaker following days of alleged abuduction.
Nabbanja (Kakumiro district woman seat) faced competition from NUP’s Allen Mutabazi whose nomination was frustrated under controversial circumstances, while Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North) from NUP’s Osbert Kato who accused the EC of conniving with Tayebwa to block his nomination.
