Pallisa, Uganda: The Pallisa District Council has unanimously endorsed Mr Echodu David Calvin as the candidate they will entirely support for his bid to steer the Eastern Region as the National Vice Chairperson of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
The endorsement was announced during a caucus meeting chaired by William Emurwon (Agule Sub-county) at Heritage Gardens Hotel in Pallisa Town on Friday. The meeting was attended by district councilors and Echodu’s delegation led by Ms. Alupo Kevin, his executive coordinator.
Councilors cited neglect, unfulfilled pledges, and poor representation by Capt. Mukula, as the basis for their decision. They said Echodu represents a fresh, responsive leadership style that resonates with grassroots NRM members.
“We are orphaned. For 11 months, we haven’t received our emoluments. The elderly remain uncompensated despite a court ruling. Our leader, Mukula, has failed to follow up, yet he meets the president frequently,” said William Agaret (Agule Town Council).
Emurwon said the endorsement was reached after Echodu’s team presented a compelling, grassroots-driven strategy. “This endorsement is democratic and representative. During Speaker Anita Among’s visit to Gogonyo on May 3, we were ambushed to endorse Mukula, but we refused,” Emurwon noted.
Councilor Beatrice Mpande (Workers) said Mukula failed to engage directly with the district leaders and attempted to exploit national events for personal political gain. “We endorsed President Museveni and Speaker Among, not Mukula,” she said.
Okoboi Martin (Youth Councilor) praised Echodu as a “new handle for the hoe,” saying Mukula failed to fulfill party integration tasks such as settling over 2,000 FDC defectors, including notable figures like Adome Anthony, Patrick Okiring, and Padere Kikonkolo, who have since been sidelined.
Alupo Kevin told the meeting that circulating reports of Pallisa endorsing Mukula were false and misleading. “This meeting is proof of your independent thinking. We are only consulting now, but this journey is for the good of the party,” she said.
Jimmy Alex Edotu, an LC5 aspirant for Serere, urged for popularization of the “Echodu project” across the region. “Mukula has failed to utilize his office for the region’s benefit. He only reappears during elections,” Edotu remarked.
Elder Joram Mpande appealed to Echodu to support their SACCO, which was initiated in 2022 but remains underfunded.
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