Echodu petitions NRM over irregularities in delegates’ register

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | David Calvin Echodu, an aspirant for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Central Executive Committee (CEC) Chairperson for Eastern Uganda, has petitioned NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong over alleged widespread irregularities in the official delegates’ register for the forthcoming elections.

Through his lawyers, Kaganzi and Co. Advocates, Echodu accuses the NRM Electoral Commission of releasing a register riddled with inaccuracies, omissions, and fraudulent entries following the August 12, 2025, harmonization meeting chaired by Dr. Tanga Odoi, the party’s Electoral Commission Chairperson.

According to Echodu’s petition, the register contains names of individuals with no known party positions, while legitimate delegates — including elected councilors, district chairpersons, and Members of Parliament — have been deliberately left out.

In Soroti District, the list reportedly excludes sitting District Chairperson Simon Peter Edoru, Subcounty Councilor Susan Amau, and District Speaker Stephen Olebe. Their slots were instead filled by individuals with no formal role in the NRM structure. In Dakabela County, MP Cosmas Elotu and NRM flag bearer Peter Edopu Edeku are also missing. In Tubur Subcounty, youth and PWD councilors were allegedly replaced wholesale with “strangers” whose legitimacy cannot be traced.

In Katakwi District, Echodu notes that the party’s own guidelines were ignored, with newly elected flag bearers listed in place of sitting councilors. The problem stretches beyond Teso. In Pallisa District, five recognized councilors are absent from the register. In Arua, NRM flag bearers Lenia Charity Kevin (MP Arua) and LCV Chairperson Cosmas Ayikobwa are both missing. Two female councilors — Moreen Wadiko, the workers’ councilor, and Molly Adiru of Ajia Subcounty — were also excluded.

Echodu is now demanding an urgent, independent audit of the delegates’ register, warning that failure to address the irregularities could undermine the credibility of the elections and erode trust in the party’s internal democracy. “If left unaddressed, these discrepancies threaten the integrity of the NRM’s internal electoral process and erode the trust of our members,” his petition reads in part.

With just days to the decisive delegates’ assembly, the revelations have caused unease within party ranks, raising fears that powerful figures may be manipulating the register to tilt the outcome in favor of preferred candidates. Attempts to obtain a response from the party leadership were futile. Attention is now on the NRM Secretariat and Electoral Commission to restore confidence before August 27, 2025, when the party is scheduled to hold the CEC elections at Kololo.

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