National Resistance Movement-NRM party chairpersons in districts in the greater Masaka region are protesting the interference of Resident District Commissioners in the primaries for the candidates for the women’s council committee polls.
According to the NRM chairpersons, the party membership is currently in utter confusion about who has the mandate to lead processes for the constituting internal women councils between the office of the Resident District Commissioners-RDCs and the party structures.
Peter Ssenkungu, the Masaka District NRM Chairperson and the Coordinator of Party Chairpersons in the Central region accuses the RDCs of overstepping their mandate by setting out to start conducting the internal party processes to elect women council committees.
Ssenkungu argues that to their shock, the internal party elections processes are being hijacked by the RDCs and DISOs in total disregard of the existing party structures, a situation that is causing unbearable confusion among the membership.
Hajj Sulaiman Lukakome, the NRM Chairperson for Kalangala district is equally angry about what he describes as the deliberate sidelining of the party leadership despite their responsibility in strengthening the party support base.
Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson has asked the party Chairpersons and all Registrars not to participate in any election-related activities being coordinated outside his office, saying the reported interference by the RDCs is misguided.
According to Odoi, the mix-up has been brought to the attention of the party’s top management and the National Party Chairperson who are expected to provide guidance on the same.
