IGANGA, Uganda (UGNEWSLINE) – The High Court in Iganga has dismissed a petition seeking to overturn Adidwa Abdu’s election as Bukooli South County MP over claims that he presented fraudulent academic qualifications and used another person’s identity.
Justice Patience Rubagumya ruled that petitioner Sande Clement Achoga had not presented sufficient evidence to prove the allegations or establish grounds for nullifying the election.
The judge dismissed the petition and ordered Achoga to pay the legal costs incurred by Adidwa and the Electoral Commission.
Achoga, who lost to Adidwa in the January 15, 2026 parliamentary elections, had asked the court to disqualify the MP, cancel his victory and order a fresh election. Alternatively, he wanted the court to declare him the winner as the candidate who came second.
Adidwa won the Bukooli South seat with 8,595 votes against Achoga’s 6,177, according to the results declared by the Electoral Commission. He was officially gazetted as the MP on March 2, 2026.
In his petition, Achoga questioned the authenticity of Adidwa’s Mature Age/Aptitude Test Certificate from the Islamic University in Uganda and a certificate issued by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), which recognised his education as equivalent to Advanced Level qualifications.
He also claimed that Adidwa had previously used academic documents belonging to a person identified as Namaani Grace and subsequently changed names through deeds poll.
Adidwa denied the claims, maintaining that he had always been known as Adidwa Abdu and had obtained his academic qualifications using his own identity documents.
The Electoral Commission also defended the nomination, telling the court that Adidwa had submitted the required academic documents.
In assessing the evidence, Justice Rubagumya noted that the petitioner had to prove his claims on a balance of probabilities but had failed to do so.
The judge acknowledged that questions about Adidwa’s identity had arisen during the 2020–2021 election period. However, she said the evidence before court did not establish that he had used Namaani Grace’s academic documents to obtain the qualifications he presented for the 2026 election.
The court relied on Adidwa’s national identity card and passports, as well as affidavits from his paternal aunts, who testified that he had consistently used the name Adidwa Abdu.
A representative of the Islamic University in Uganda also explained that applicants seeking a Mature Age/Aptitude Test Certificate must be at least 25 years old and score a minimum of 50 per cent in the examination.
Justice Rubagumya found no evidence that Adidwa had fraudulently obtained the certificate. She also upheld the NCHE certificate issued on May 20, 2025, saying it complied with the applicable legal requirements.
On the allegation that Adidwa had impersonated another person, the judge ruled that Achoga had failed to prove the offence under Section 98 of the Parliamentary Elections Act.
She explained that the provision addresses voting in another person’s name, whether that person is living, dead or fictitious. The court found no sufficient evidence that Adidwa had voted using another person’s identity.
The judge further noted that the documents Adidwa submitted during the 2026 nomination process bore his own name, a fact acknowledged during cross-examination by Achoga and Namaani Grace.
Justice Rubagumya concluded that the allegations had not met the legal threshold required to overturn the election, leaving Adidwa in office as Bukooli South County MP.
