The ruling NRM party is about to lose one more member after Jean Mark Aporu, a party leaning independent candidate that recently lost Kotido Municipality parliamentary race threatened to quit the party.
According to final results, Aporu, polled 4,248 votes behind the winner Peter Abrahams Lokii, the NRM flag bearer with a margin of 1,582 votes. But, after declaration of Lokii as winner, a dissatisfied Aporu claimed his counterpart was imposed by the party to carry the NRM flag, adding that top party officials failed to listen to his grievances after the party primaries.
He is particularly concerned with the heavy deployment of security forces during the elections, which he says intimidated his supporters and only a handful turned up to cast their votes.
Two days to the polling day, police heavily deployed in Kotido after clashes between supporters of the duo in town and scores were injured.
Aporu however argues that the presence of uniformed men doubled on Friday evening towards the close of polls, with both army, police and prison personnel were seen taking control of the Kotido town round about, major streets and EC offices were the tallying was conducted.
According to Peter Pex Paak the NRM administrator campaign task force in Kotido, there was not much time for the party to resolve the internal differences after party primaries.
"There was little time for discussions arising from party primaries but if there was a petition to that effect, the party secretariat would address. Otherwise, it's very unfortunate for one us to label such accusations to the party that he subscribes to" Paak said.
