The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has nominated six aspirants to contest for the party flag in the forthcoming Adjumani West parliamentary by-election following the death of Gen Moses Ali, the former First Deputy Prime Minister and long-serving legislator.
NRM Electoral Commission Commissioner Ambassador James Williams Kinobe said the nomination exercise started on Monday and will run until Tuesday, August 18, after seven aspirants expressed interest in contesting for the party flag between August 10 and 14.
The six aspirants nominated on Monday are Anyama Ben, Owole Nixon, Leku James Pilli, Mawadri Justine, Obuni Richard Madrara and Izale Daniel.
Mr Kinobe said the nomination of the six does not necessarily mean they will all appear on the ballot paper during the party primary, saying the NRM will continue engaging the aspirants to seek consensus.
“Expression of interest is not final. Candidates can express interest but lose interest before the time of nomination. Even nomination is not final because engagements are going to continue until the campaigns and the primaries, until we get one candidate,” he said.
He said the party would prefer to reach consensus on a single candidate to avoid dividing its supporters ahead of the general by-election.
“If consensus is reached, we shall have one candidate. If they do not agree, we shall go for a primary and the winner will become the NRM flag bearer,” Mr Kinobe said.
He urged the aspirants to conduct peaceful campaigns and work together, saying they will participate in joint campaign activities across the constituency.
The joint campaigns are scheduled to run from August 20 to September 1. Mr Kinobe said the aspirants will meet the district leadership to harmonise their campaign programme, including areas they will visit, before moving together across the constituency.
He said the arrangement is intended to promote unity among the aspirants and supporters while giving voters an opportunity to interact with all the candidates.
The NRM primary is scheduled for September 3, if the aspirants fail to reach consensus.
Mr Kinobe also said the National Electoral Commission (NEC) will use part of the period between August 20 and August 31 to update the voters’ register in the affected electoral area.
The NEC is scheduled to nominate candidates for the parliamentary by-election on September 7 and 8, with the successful NRM candidate expected to face other contenders in the national election.
Mr Kinobe cautioned against a situation where the NRM flag bearer is challenged by another NRM-leaning independent candidate, saying this could split the party’s support.
“A divided house cannot stand. We urge the people of Adjumani to be harmonious, work together, and get an acceptable candidate,” he said.
He said the electoral process is being conducted within the legal timeframe requiring a by-election to be held within 60 days following the death of a Member of Parliament.
Mr Kinobe appealed to residents of Adjumani West and NRM supporters to maintain peace and unity throughout the process, saying the ideal outcome would be for the aspirants to agree on one candidate rather than hold a divisive primary.
“It would be good if the people of Adjumani, all of them, agree to have just one nominated candidate, and we don’t go for elections to split the people,” he said.
