The Electoral Commission has officially declared National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate James Leku Pilli as the newly elected Member of Parliament for Adjumani West following Thursday's parliamentary by-election.

Pilli secured a decisive victory after obtaining 12,423 votes against independent candidate Gasper Draga, who polled 2,559 votes. Adjumani District Returning Officer Eunice Christine Akao formally announced the results at 8:31 pm at the Adjumani District Council Hall in accordance with Section 77(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act.

Fills vacant seat. The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of long-serving legislator and former Second Deputy Prime Minister, Gen (Rtd) Moses Ali, on July 18, 2026. Pilli had previously earned the ruling party's flag in a tightly contested party primary where he defeated former Adjumani District Chairperson Ben Anyama by just 184 votes. Anyama and fellow candidate Patrick Tandrupasi later withdrew from the parliamentary race, leaving Pilli to ensure the NRM retained representation for Adjumani West in the 12th Parliament.

Balanced assessment. Although NRM supporters celebrated the victory across Adjumani town, electoral observers raised concerns over a noticeably low voter turnout. Out of 51,437 registered voters across 114 polling stations, only 15,216 citizens cast their ballots, representing a participation rate of approximately 29.6 percent. The Returning Officer confirmed that 14,982 valid votes were cast, alongside 234 rejected ballots and 19 spoilt papers.

Looking ahead. Following his declaration, Pilli pledged to focus on uniting the constituency and advancing socio-economic development projects across the West Nile sub-region. King Musah Media will continue to monitor developments as the MP-elect prepares for his swearing-in at Parliament.