Adjumani, Uganda: The Adjumani NRM Youth delegates yesterday stunned NRM leaders when they cast protest votes, electing an independent candidate, Mr Ayiga Israel, as the new district youth council chairman, breaking the unbeaten record of NRM since 2006, the elections when Uganda returned to a multi-party political dispensation.
The result has surprised many leaders in Adjumani, especially when 33 of the 36 delegates are NRM party members, and an independent winning with only 3 members is worrying and could lead to a serious political backlash in the 2026 general elections.
In a hotly contested election held on August 19, 2025, at the district headquarters, the two candidates, MC (Master of Ceremony) Vukoni Nobert Fablo, NRM candidate, and independent candidate Ayiga Israel, a radio journalist with Aulogo F.M., tied on 18 votes each as the total number of illegible delegates is 36.
The presiding officer, Electoral Commission Adjumani district Indeanyia Genevivi, who presided over the elections, ordered the repeat of voting on August 20, 2025, at the same venue where victory eluded NRM candidate Vukoni Nobert Fablo in favor of independent candidate Ayiga Israel, in what many believe is a massive protest by NRM youths.
The victory, according to Mr. Emmanuel Ayiga, who lost in what he termed as the fraud-laden NRM primary elections, is a sweet revenge and should sound an alarm that those who were treated unfairly and rigged out of the NRM primary elections could overturn the results come the 2026 general elections.
On August 8, 2025, Vukoni Robert Fablo was elected the NRM flag bearer for the position of district youth council, an election result that was outrightly rejected by Emmanuel Igama, who garnered 18 votes against 24.
“I outrightly reject the outcome of the NRM primary elections because there were open irregularities on polling day, which the NRM Electoral commission registrar, Mr. Amos Chandimale, and NRM chairman Mr. Akuku Charles, who monitored the elections, failed to avert. There was open distribution of election materials like T-shirts, flyers, and campaign posters.”
“The rigging started right from the village level, where information was passed selectively, and the rest were denied access to information as such. Most of the candidates were ambushed, and that contributed to their loss”.
Mr. Bongomin Bala, the outward-bound district youth chairman, attested to the statement of Mr. Emmanuel Igama, observing that there were voters bribing and sustained intimidation of supporters of Emmanuel Igama, above all the district NRM chairman refused to address their concerns and opted to join team Pablo in the victory celebration.
“We can’t stomach such acts of lawlessness and the impunity that trails, the only resolution is to contest on an independent ticket and see if fairness will not prevail because the NRM party has become the property of a few individuals”. Mr. Bongomin charged.
The secretary for international relations in the National Youth Council Mr. Alumani Edward, who doubles as secretary of Finance, Adjumani district Youth Council, has called for discipline among the NRM Youth because youth leadership is the nursery bed for the youth in joining the mainstream NRM politics.
Mr. Alumani has advised the district youth leaders to dedicate their services working for the youths and stop eyeing top offices or else they will earn political reprisals which will affect their performance, because without the support of the district council and Mps the youths will be suffocated.
Since Uganda moved to a multi-party political dispensation in 2005, the top Youth office in the district has never been won by the opposition. The tides have changed yesterday owing to what most political commentators here believe Is the opaque nature of handling NRM primary elections.
The result of the district youth council elections communicates a lot, according to Mr. Dima Godfrey Obol, former district youth chairman, who notes that the unfairness and open electoral malpractices has forced leaders, including district chairman Hon.Anyama Ben, Adjumani East MP Hon.Mamawi James and the former Aspirant Adjumani West Mr. Owole Nixon, former Tororo RDC to ditch NRM in favor of independent tickets.
The NRM party in Adjumani has been corrupted by fictionalism dating back to 2021, elections where NRM A and B drew clear political battle lines with NRM B emerging the victor as it managed to secure the position of the district chairman, Adjumani East MP and Adjumani district woman MP, this time round NRM A has emerged powerful during the primary elections reversing the gains of NRM B in 2026, as the Woman MP Hon Ababiku has been isolated.
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