Violence scared NRM women voters in Arua, says Lumumba

The Secretary General of the ruling National Resistance Movement, whose candidate lost the Wednesday Arua Municipality Parliamentary by-election has attributed the loss to the violence that was “caused by Opposition camps before and during the elections.”

 Ms Kasule Lumumba told journalists in Kampala on Thursday that such acts of violence scare away  women who constitute the majority voting population of NRM and give an edge to the “defiant men in the opposition”, on polling day.

"Violence during elections affects us more as it scares away the women after developing fear," said.

She requested security agencies to always react to them [scenes of violence] with maximum attention in order to protect the innocent women from shying away from their constitutional rights.

Ms Lumumba said the popular and trending 'People Power' campaign slogan that is being used by Opposition groups is “more suitable” for NRM which commands “majority support” in the country than those without even clear political inclination.

She said that the party lost the support of some people who lost in the primaries because they were held late and there was therefore no time to reconcile its candidates some of whom ended up getting nominated as independents.

She said that the total number of votes gathered by the party flag bearer and other NRM-leaning candidates was far bigger than the opposition.

This, she said is an indication that Ms Nusura Tiperu, the NRM candidate would have won.

Mr Wadri garnered 6,421 votes to beat Ms Tiperu who polled 4,798 votes.

Mr Wadri garnered 6,421 votes to eclipse a crowded field of 12 candidates, soundly beating his closest challenger and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party  flag bearer, Ms Nusura Tiperu. She polled 4,798 votes.

Independent candidate Robert Ejiku, who spent substantial resources for a pace-setting campaign, took the third position with 2,694 votes.

Mr Bruce Musema, the Forum for Democratic Change party flag bearer, who was an early favourite going into the by-election before Wadri emerged to chip away his support, got 1,369 votes to settle for fourth position.

The eight other candidates took home insignificant votes. Businessman Jackson Atima, a failed NRM flag bearer-turned-Independent candidate, who wailed in the day over vote-rigging claims, garnered 835 votes.

Former United Nations employee Sunday Anguandia and JEEMA party candidate Jaffer Alekua polled 136 and 38 votes, respectively.

The other contestants shared the vote spoils as follows: Ex-banker Simon Avutia, 32; teacher-cum-radio presenter Alfred Nyakuni, 30; musician Kennedy Madira of DP, 26; Safi Bavuga, 19; and, nomadic election loser Elton Nyero, 18.

The Arua Municipality parliamentary seat fell vacant following the assassination on June 8, of Ibrahim Abiriga, an NRM portrait.

The last day of the campaigns exploded in a confrontation between security forces and the opposition supporters during which Yasin Kawuma, the chauffer of MP Robert Kyagulanyi, was shot dead while six others took bullet wounds.