NRM Director of Finance and Administration, Hajjat Medina Naham Ojale, has urged Ugandans to vote for NRM flag bearers in the upcoming LC1 Chairperson elections, saying leaders elected on the party ticket are best placed to implement President Yoweri Museveni’s manifesto at the grassroots.
Medina made the call on Saturday after supervising the Village Women Council elections in West Nile as the NRM team leader for the sub-region.
She said the NRM’s strong performance in the women council elections demonstrated continued public confidence in the party’s programmes, which should be consolidated in the LC1 elections.
“I urge our people, not only in West Nile but across Uganda, to turn up in large numbers and vote for all NRM flag bearers. It is the NRM manifesto that Ugandans voted for and the ideas of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni that they endorsed,” Medina said.
She added that the party’s manifesto could be implemented more effectively when leaders at all levels work within the same policy framework.
According to Medina, the NRM secured more than 90 percent of the Village Women Council positions in West Nile, a performance she attributed to the party’s grassroots mobilisation strategy.
She commended President Museveni and NRM Secretary General Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong for their guidance, saying the party had strengthened its grassroots structures by assigning 63 leaders in every village to spearhead mobilisation.
“For the first time, the party worked extensively through its grassroots structures. We entrusted 63 leaders in every village with mobilisation, and that strategy worked,” she said.
Medina said the same mobilisation strategy had contributed to victories for President Museveni, NRM parliamentary candidates and LC V chairpersons, expressing confidence that it would also deliver victory for the party in the LC1 elections.
She, however, cautioned voters against electing leaders who are not aligned with the NRM programme, saying this could slow the implementation of government programmes at the grassroots.
Medina described LC1 chairpersons as an important link between communities and government, given their role as the first point of contact for many residents.
Arua City Mayor Lawrence Alionzi echoed Medina’s confidence, saying the city was prepared for the LC1 elections and would build on the NRM’s recent electoral successes.
“We are building on the momentum from the General Election and the Village Women Council polls. If the recent results are anything to go by, we are confident the NRM will also perform strongly in the LC1 elections,” Alionzi said.
Medina also called for peaceful elections, urging candidates and their supporters to prioritise community unity over political competition.
“Elections are a contest of ideas, not a reason for conflict. We all come from the same villages and we shall continue living together after these elections,” she said.
She urged winners to serve all residents and encouraged unsuccessful candidates to support elected leaders in order to maintain peace and unity in communities.
Medina also commended the media for informing the public throughout the electoral process, saying its coverage had contributed to public awareness and increased participation in the grassroots elections.
