Thursday , November 7 2024

NRM primaries in Arua central division canceled

Police and UPDF officers cordoned off Baruku Cell polling station for three hours but later gave up and fired tear gas after NRM supporters became rowdy.

Arua, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |   The National Resistance Movement- NRM party primaries in three wards of Arua Central division have been canceled after the voters turned rowdy. 

The NRM party tribunal ordered for fresh primaries in three wards of Ojulua, Baruku and Ozua Cell A and B. This follows a petition filed by Robert Ejiku one of the contestants of Arua Central Division NRM MP race against Jackson Atima who was declared the winner.

On Wednesday, efforts to conduct fresh primaries by lining up turned chaotic after thousands of NRM supporters besieged the polling stations for more than three hours forcing police to fire tear gas to disperse them. 

It all started with allegations that the district registers were stolen and some were handwritten overnight and handed to police custody only to be called to vote today, while supporters of Atima protested voting on grounds that the register had been tampered with.

Hamza Ali the NRM EC Arua City said the NRM supporters of the two candidates became rowdy and made it difficult for them to read out the names of the voters. Hamza said that the voting has been suspended until further notice.   

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After the voting process was disrupted by the rowdy supporters, Atima and Ejiku went silent as their supporters took to the streets to march to their homes for further action. 

Nominations of Members of Parliament start tomorrow and end on Friday.

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