PICTURES: Museveni turns Dokolo yellow
Politics
PICTURES - DOKOLO | President Museveni touched down in the Lango district of Dokolo to drum up support as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party fine tunes to wrestle the Woman MP seat from the Opposition.
PResident Museveni excites NRM party leadership in Dokolo on arrival to drum up support for Jane Adongo (centre) in the Women MP race. Mr Museveni, who is the NRM national chairman, was due to campaign from Atabu Primary School by press time and would conclude with a rally Amatiburu Primary School.
President Museveni's chopper made waves in Dokolo before he hit the ground running. Dokolo goes to polls on Thursday in a by-election to replace Cecilia Atim Ogwal, who did in January. Since Dokolo District was carved out of Lira District in 2006, Ogwal of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party had been the District Woman MP.
Candidate Janet Adongo is all smiles as she arrives for her big day at Atabu Primary School ground. Adongo got a boost two days ago when Dr Grace Anna Lalam, an independent candidate, stood down for her. She now must contend with the daughter of the late Cecilia Ogwal, Dr Rosemary Alwoc Ogwal of the Forum for Democratic Change, Sarah Aguti Nyangkori of Uganda People's Congress (UPC), National Unity Platform's Harriet Ageno, and independents Dr Esther Akullo Otada, and Rebecca Arao.
The ground will not be soft for Janet Adongo who lost to the late Cecilia Ogwal in the last election and now faces the nightmare of the daughter against a voting pattern that has historically favoured the offspring of deceased legislators on emotional grounds.
NRM supporters cheer the arrival of President Museveni. The NRM party has historically held the edge over rivals in by-election mainly because they are able to sink their entire arsenal of bottomless resources in such polls. It is also in by-elections that Mr Museveni dedicates time and effort to campaign for the party flag bearers. This should give Janet Adongo some political mileage.
Dokolo votes on Thursday, March 21, with key issues of acute lack of medical supplies and broken infrastructure system at the heart of most voters, according to reports since the by-election was called in January. For Janet Adongo, her campaign team and NRM leadership in the district must comb the ground to show the voters the hope.
In the 2021 general elections, Dokolo registered 93,712 voters with the Electoral Commission. The registration and transfer of voters from one polling station to another within Dokolo closed on February 15. There are 173 polling stations in the district.
