John Bunyasi has rejected the results declared by the IEBC for Busia governor race.
On Thursday night, the electoral agency declared former Funyula MP Paul Otuoma the winner of the governor's seat.
Otuoma of ODM won the race after garnering 164,478 votes, while Bunyasi of ANC got 92,144.
Others in the race were former Busia Education chief officer Dan Mogoria, who came third with 14,396 votes, and outgoing Deputy Governor Moses Mulomi, who got 2,546 votes.
In fifth position was Michael Oloo with 1,675 votes.
On Thursday evening, Bunyasi rejected the results, claiming the governor's vote was marred by malpractices that should have compelled the IEBC to postpone declaring the results.
The former Nambale MP did not specify which malpractices were recorded.
“I reject the results as presented in Funyula (Samia subcounty), Matayos, Butula, Teso North and Budalang’i,” Bunyasi said in a statement.
“I have enough grounds to prove beyond reasonable doubt that there were election malpractices in the said subcounties that affected the results to the extent as currently is.”
“In that regard I will not be appending my signature to the results. The results from the said subcounties stand rejected and the governor results stand petitioned,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Bunyasi had expressed confidence of emerging victorious against Otuoma in the race to succeed outgoing Governor Sospeter Ojaamong.
Ojaamong was vying for Teso North MP seat but lost to UDA’s Mary Emaase.
On Tuesday, Bunyasi spent the better part of the day criss-crossing the county monitoring voting progress.
He said then that he was on a mission to ensure “everything is running smooth”.
Bunyasi was in the race for the first time while Otuoma was contesting for the seat for a second time after he unsuccessfully vied against Ojaamong in 2017.
Otuoma has extended an olive branch to his opponents, urging them to join him in transforming Busia.
He said after receiving his victory certificate from county IEBC chief Lazarus Chebii that elections were over and it was time to work for the residents of the border county.
Edited by A.N
