Dr. Tanga Odoi and the NRM CEC: The under-sung heroes of Uganda’s democracy
This overwhelming vindication should have closed the debate.
Kampala: Many unpalatable things have been said about Dr. Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission Chairman, his team, the NRM Secretariat, the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), and even Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who leads the entire structure.
But just like in a classroom setting, where a class monitor is both loved and despised, leadership that involves organizing and announcing competition results always comes with jubilation on one side and protest on the other.
We often see football referees attacked by losing teams, while the winning side defends them. This pattern is not limited to sports; it applies equally to politics.
After successfully delivering one of the most highly attended, peaceful, and secure primary elections in Uganda’s political history, the NRM electoral team now finds itself in the uncomfortable position of being vilified, not celebrated.
When former DRC President Joseph Kabila was once criticized by a European leader about poverty in his country, he responded: “You do not understand the magnitude of the challenges I faced. I successfully administered an empire bigger and more diverse than all of Europe combined for two decades and it still remains Congo, united, as I leave. The poverty you speak of was expected but not the unity I delivered.”
To truly appreciate the irreplaceable role of Dr. Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission, and the broader NRM democratic machinery, one must understand the scale and complexity of their task not simply point to a few errors. Conducting elections in 72,000 villages and receiving just around 380 complaints, most of which have been found to be baseless, is no small feat.
In any system operated by humans, errors are inevitable. What truly matters is whether those errors significantly alter the will of the people. In this case, they did not.
The independent tribunal set up to review complaints from losing candidates has confirmed that over 99% of the results announced by Dr. Tanga Odoi were accurate, fair, and credible. This overwhelming vindication should have closed the debate.
However, it has had the opposite effect on some critics fueling further resentment. Online platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and WhatsApp groups are now filled with internal messages urging Special Interest Group (SIG) members and CEC aspirants to boycott or heckle the August 12th meeting called by the Secretary General to harmonize upcoming primaries.
This meeting, guided by the instruction of President Museveni, is vital for party unity. Yet some are choosing disruption over dialogue. That is unacceptable.
Just hours after the LC-V and Mayoral primaries concluded, President Museveni rightly congratulated the party and its members. In a statement published on the Uganda Media Centre website under the headline, “President Museveni Hails Successful NRM Primaries for LC-Vs, Mayors, Councillors”, he said:
“I congratulate the Ugandans that are members of the NRM on account of, apparently, a much more peaceful and fraud-free Primaries for the LC-Vs, Mayors, Councillors, etc., that were conducted on Thursday, the 24th of July 2025. This is what the initial reports are telling me.”
Those initial reports have now been confirmed by the tribunal findings. Unfortunately, some voices pressured the President into responding to complaints that have since been proven baseless. The damage, however, had already begun.
Just as Kabila’s top priority was keeping Congo united, Tanga Odoi’s silent triumph may also be greater than many realize. His leadership and resilience under immense pressure deserve more than just grudging acknowledgment they deserve applause.
If one now claims that even the tribunal set up by President Museveni himself was biased, what else is left to say? That would simply be the voice of a poor loser.
As NRM members prepare to face external opponents in the upcoming national elections, it would be wiser for internal critics to stop smearing their own party’s officials the very same team that has delivered repeated victories over the years.
Instead of wasting energy attacking Dr. Tanga Odoi and the Secretariat (which successfully nominated President Museveni himself), cadres should focus on countering the growing influence of the opposition.
It is dangerously short-sighted for a self-proclaimed NRM loyalist to use party resources to undermine party mobilization efforts. That is not loyalty that is sabotage.
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