Zombo NRM Candidates Cautioned Against Relying on Social Media for Electoral Outcomes

Zombo NRM Candidates Cautioned Against Relying on Social Media for Electoral Outcomes

By Mike Rwothomio

West Nile, Hundreds of National Resistance Movement (NRM) Local Council III and Councillor candidates, duly endorsed and gearing up for the party’s primary elections slated for Thursday, August 14, have been firmly admonished against trusting unofficial results circulated by their operatives through social media channels.

At a reconciliation summit held at Zombo district headquarters on Sunday, NRM party officials underscored that reliance on unverified social media tallies has recently triggered widespread confusion among the electorate.

Dickson Pithua Kenedy, the interim NRM Chairperson for Zombo, issued a directive urging candidates to deploy polling agents across all voting stations to ensure accurate tabulation and curb electoral irregularities.

 “I strongly caution our candidates against banking on social media results. They must position their agents at every polling station to monitor the electoral process. We will only recognize authentic results from our sub-county registrars, not social media,” Pithua told this outlet in an exclusive interview over the weekend.

Prisca Unegiu, the NRM registrar for Zombo, reinforced the need for strict adherence to the party’s harmonized electoral protocols, warning candidates against trusting unofficial results relayed by their agents via social media.

 “We will only accept official results from our supervisors. I urge candidates to rely solely on our verified outcomes,” Unegiu stated in an interview.

She further noted that over 50 LCIII candidates and numerous parish/ward councillor aspirants have been officially cleared to contest in the August 14 primaries, calling on registered party members to turn out in droves to participate in the democratic exercise.

“We’ve held mobilization meetings with candidates. Over 50 have been cleared for LCIII positions, and many more for councillor seats. We urge party members to abide by the rules and vote in large numbers in the upcoming primaries,” Unegiu elaborated.

Melki Onyutha Orwothuwun, the LCIII chairperson of Padea Town Council, expressed confidence in retaining his seat, citing his transformative leadership in “reshaping Padea Town Council over the past five years.”

Meanwhile, Mazu Ubia Silverfield Rwothomio, a Radio Paidha employee, is challenging the entrenched incumbent Meuva Jackson Fred, the LCIII chairperson of Alangi Sub-County, who remains optimistic about securing re-election.

 Speaking after the reconciliation summit at Zombo district headquarters, Ubia emphasized, “It’s up to the people of Alangi to select a leader who can drive the sub-county’s development.” 

He urged party members to also turn out in droves for the August 14 polls.

Historically, NRM primaries for parliamentary, LCV chairperson, and district councillor positions have seen high voter turnout.

 In Zombo's NRM Primaries for Parliamentary elections, voter apathy was evident, with some constituents accusing political leaders of failing to fulfill campaign pledges, while others criticized the party’s electoral process for allegedly imposing candidates against grassroots preferences.

Registrar Unegiu, in a recent interview, reaffirmed her commitment to electoral integrity, stating, “I call on all party members to turn out in large numbers to elect candidates of their choice in the forthcoming polls.”

Songa Biyika Lawrence, the MP for Ora County, urged NRM members to participate robustly in the August 14 LCIII and councillor primaries.

Zombo’s Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Festus Ayikobua, recently addressed party supervisors at the district headquarters, warning against tampering with authentic results. He referenced President Museveni’s recent nationwide admonitions to NRM leaders against orchestrating fraudulent electoral processes, signaling severe repercussions for non-compliance.

Meanwhile, patience is wearing thin among Zombo’s electorate, who are eagerly awaiting the NRM tribunal’s verdict on petitions filed by candidates Songa Biyika Lawrence and Topista Acamfua challenging the July 17 parliamentary primaries.