Voters in Lugusuulu sub-county, Sembabule District, have threatened to abandon the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and join the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) over alleged election malpractice in the recent party primaries.
The disgruntled voters accuse the NRM district electoral committee of declaring the "wrong candidate" as winner for the sub-county chairperson flag bearer seat, a decision they insist does not reflect the actual votes cast.
The primaries, held last Thursday, were meant to elect flag bearers for various village and sub-county leadership positions ahead of the 2026 general elections.
In Lugusuulu, Benon Burora was declared winner with 3,013 votes, defeating his rival Paul Abaho, who polled 2,907.
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However, several voters rejected the outcome, claiming Burora was unfairly declared winner despite Abaho's strong performance at many polling stations.
At Lwekisujju polling station in Kaliyala parish, for example, Abaho reportedly garnered 203 votes compared to Burora's 8.
Yet, when the results were tallied, Burora was allegedly credited with more than 600 votes from the same station -- a discrepancy that infuriated voters.
"We are tired of these fraudulent elections. If the NRM leadership fails to organise a re-run, we shall leave the party and join NUP," vowed Godfrey Ssempijja, a resident of Lwekisujju village.
The angry voters accuse some senior NRM leaders and the party registrar in the sub-county, Isaac Mbasiize, of masterminding the alleged vote rigging.
Paul Abaho, who insists the election was stolen from him, said he raised an alarm to the district electoral officials but his complaints were dismissed.
"They robbed me in broad daylight. I wrote my petition and rushed to the officials to protest, but instead of addressing the matter, they threw me out," Abaho said.
But Burora, the declared winner, dismissed the allegations, saying he won the primaries fairly.
"This time God stood with me. I have been cheated for many years, but at last the people gave me victory. Those who claim I rigged are simply sore losers," Burora said.
Efforts to reach the NRM electoral commission officials in Sembabule, including Deborah Alayo and Ambassador James Kinobe, were futile as their phones went unanswered.
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The Lugusuulu dispute adds to the growing wave of discontent within the NRM primaries across several districts, sparking fears that unresolved wrangles could push voters into the hands of the opposition as the 2026 elections draw closer.
