Over 70 Nebbi opposition members ‘defect’ to NRM party
He warned local leaders against obstructing the new members from benefiting from government programs.
Nebbi: Seventy-nine voters, including youths and older individuals who were previously affiliated with various opposition political parties, have officially defected to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party in Nebbi District and Municipality.
Melki Kakura, the NRM Party registrar for Nebbi, confirmed that these new converts bring the total number of registered NRM members to 135,922 in the district.
The defectors were welcomed at a ceremony held at Gaf Apartments in Nebbi Municipality on December 21, 2024.
The event attracted prominent figures, including Nebbi Resident District Commissioner Robert Abak, MP for Nebbi Municipality Hashim Sulaiman, Nebbi District NRM Chairperson KG Adubango, and Nebbi Municipality Mayor Geoffrey Ngiriker, among others.
The converts, who presented their former party membership cards, were encouraged to spread NRM ideologies at the grassroots level.
The defection comes as the political atmosphere in Nebbi and the country at large heats up ahead of the 2026 elections, with current incumbents striving to retain their seats and new political aspirants rallying grassroots support to challenge them.
MP Hashim Sulaiman praised the group for joining the NRM Party, emphasizing the party’s solid grassroots structure. He also noted the current disarray within opposition parties such as FDC, NUP, and UPC, which has contributed to the defections. Sulaiman called for unity and loyalty to the NRM, urging the new members to take full advantage of government programs.
One of the converts, Collins Orom Jalacida, LCIII chairperson of Erussi Sub-County and a former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Party member, was officially welcomed into the NRM Party in July by Minister of Presidency Milly Babalanda.
Orom shared his positive experiences since joining the NRM, highlighting the government’s efforts to bring benefits to his people, including clean water and electricity. He called for greater inclusivity and open-mindedness within the NRM leadership.
The Resident District Commissioner of Nebbi, Robert Abak, welcomed the new members and encouraged them to take advantage of government programs, particularly those aimed at poverty alleviation, such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, and Youth Livelihood Programs.
However, Monday Tekakwo Agness Mom, a new convert from Nebbi Sub-County, raised concerns about challenges in accessing PDM funds. She accused the LCII chairperson of Onjuku of discouraging people from benefiting from the program.
Joyce Namusoke, a former FDC member, said she joined the NRM after receiving support from MP Sulaiman, pledging to remain a loyal member of the party. Patrick Jacan, a Municipal Councillor for Namthin Ward, also defected from FDC, citing division within the party as a key reason for his decision.
Francis Wedunga, the Nebbi District NRM Public Relations Officer, warned local leaders against obstructing the new members from benefiting from government programs.
In response to allegations of intimidation regarding access to the Parish Development Model, RDC Abak clarified that the funds were intended for everyone and that the recovery period would begin in two years.
Mayor Geoffrey Ngiriker emphasized the importance of unity for the development of Nebbi, urging members to visit his office if they were being sidelined from government programs. He called for patriotism and love for both Nebbi and Uganda as a whole.
KG Adubango, the NRM Party Chairperson for Nebbi District, urged the new converts to work together to galvanize support for the NRM Party at all levels. He warned local leaders against excluding new members, stressing the inclusive nature of the NRM as outlined in the party’s constitution.
Opposition response
When contacted for comment, Nabil Saidi, the FDC Youth Mobilizer for Nebbi Municipality, stated that it was every citizen’s democratic right to choose their party of affiliation. He added that FDC had also been receiving members from the ruling NRM Party.
Francis Bolingo, the Leader of Opposition in Zombo District, questioned the legitimacy of the defections, suggesting that some of the converts did not have proper party membership cards.
Thellins Jalacida, a former FDC Party member who recently defected to the NRM, called for greater inclusivity within the political landscape.
Story filed by Mike Rwothomio and Lee Ofoymungu
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The FDC members who defected shouldn’t blame it on the split within the party. A real man stands to correct the mistakes in his house rather than running to join membership in the another man’s house. The former FDC members mentioned in this story had been unreliable for the past 4 years and were only looking for a reason to blame but it’s one’s right to choose to belong to any political party of their choice. The politics of Nebbi does not appreciate the importance political engagement in that other political parties are looked at as anti government programs and this has always been their song to sing. Everyone wants to be a demi god in their capacities without being challenged even though they are not competent. There’s still immaturity in the politics of the district. However, as others go , more keeps joining the struggle against the local and national dictatorship. It’s better to lose a political mole that to have him occupy a space that clean others would fill. Nebbi must develop and NRM in Nebbi must give up leadership because they over talk over nothing, very poor lobbying capacity, very poor road access especially in NMC, no municipal division health cnetres making a number of their medical staff suffer unpaid salaries for about a year now, poor garbage management, poor ability to implement even the easiest policies, poor creativity level in the leadership, a very poor market, corruption and embezzlement of public funds, a very dirty town, among others. Nebbi must develop and this has defeated the NRM in Nebbi for the last 38 years. Conclusively, any person defecting to NRM now has given up in developing Nebbi and wrongfully think development only comes when people are in NRM and i therefore describe it as, a shotgun decision or q knee-jack reaction. NEBBI MUST BE RESTORED BACK TO A DEVELOPING LINE.MISSION 2026.