NRM losers form association to stop electoral malpractice
Members of the ruling National Resistance Movement who contested and failed in the previous party primary elections have formed an association to stop future ‘sham elections.
The association dubbed Action for Transformation and Sustainable Development also seeks to help members recover from the loss and strategize for the 2026 election.
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The interim committee led by former Rubanda MP Aspirant Muhereza Robert Mathias is now on a country-wide tour to mobilize fellow losers.
The team held the first meeting in Mbale where they met NRM losers across eastern Uganda.
The members also seek to catch the attention of the party leaders who in their view have neglected them.
“They have never called us even to just console us, ” Jalia Namasaba, former aspirant Woman MP Mbale city
“We need to be met so that these apologize for what happened during the primaries,” Bubulo West MP aspirant Richard Michael Nataka.
“We love this party but at the end of the day, does the party love us?” there are people who don’t even love the party, but they just take advantage of the situation and before you know they are currying the NRM flag,” Omoding Peterson from Bukedea said.
The members further emphasized their dismay in the party’s silence on the chaos that marred the October 2020 party primaries which they lost.
Some of the cadres regret paying the Shs2 million nomination fee to the party adding that there was no value for money.
They now want their party leaders to fix the gaps to guarantee a leveled ground come 2026.
“it’s like we donated 2million shillings to the party but we did not get value for money. It was just that you manage your chaos and the chaos puts you in the position and the party never spoke about it,” Omoding said.
adding that “if we want to go to parliament and there no reforms shall we be able to contest under NRM or we shall have jumped ship”
“We need to influence changes in the electoral system of the party, otherwise if you were given choice based on the past experience to stand as an independent, most of us would opt not to go to the primaries again and that risk must be seen,” said former Bubulo West MP aspirant Richard Michael Nataka adding that “it’s like whoever has a mafia-style of participating in an election is the one who takes the day”
After the Mbale meeting, the team proceeds to northern Uganda where they are expected to hold a similar meeting.
Approximately 2000 aspirants lost in the NM primaries compared to the 300 elected MPS.
