District councilors aligned with the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Dokolo District are considering endorsing an independent candidate for the upcoming by-election in Dokolo district if the party fails to pay funds owed to them from the 2021 General Election.
Reports indicate that an amount exceeding 80 million Shillings, intended to support party flagbearers for the district council and youth, disability, and women leagues in February 2021, remains undistributed to the intended recipients.
Each candidate was supposed to receive one million Shillings, but their repeated requests for payment have gone unanswered by the party. This issue resurfaced during the NRM Expanded District Delegates conference held on Saturday at Dokolo Technical Institute.
Tony Odongo, chairperson of the NRM Caucus, revealed that in light of this situation, District councillors and sub-county leaders are considering throwing their support behind an independent candidate unless their demands are addressed.
However, Rose Namayanja Nsereko, the NRM Deputy Secretary-General, countered this claim by stating that the allocated funds were disbursed from the party treasury and can be traced to the district. She cautioned leaders against exploiting the by-election to manipulate the party.
Nsereko urged councillors to set aside their grievances and rally behind the NRM flagbearer, assuring them that efforts were underway to settle their dues.
Felix Okot Ogong, the Dokolo North Member of Parliament, advised the party to provide financial assistance directly to village teams to navigate the complexity of the by-election.
Meanwhile, Rosemary Seninde, the NRM Director for Mobilization, characterized independent-NRM-leaning candidates as “rebels” and cautioned party supporters in Dokolo against repeating the scenario seen in the Oyam By-election. Seninde warned that supporting NRM-leaning candidates running as independents could lead to victory for the opposition party.
Following Seninde’s remarks, Beatrice Abang, an independent-leaning candidate and District NRM Chairperson, withdrew from the race and pledged support for the NRM flagbearer.
However, Irene Amongi Ajwika, another independent candidate, reiterated her commitment to contesting the election to represent the people of Dokolo, regardless of party affiliation.
Despite Abang’s decision, four other independent NRM-leaning candidates remain in the race to succeed the late Cecilia Atim Ogwal.
