Chaos Erupts During NRM Sub-county Elections in Nyaravur-Angal, Nebbi

Chaos erupted in the elections of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party structures for the Sub-county’s NRM party chairman in Nebbi District, Nyaravur-Angal Town Council. At around 8:00 am, hundreds of NRM supporters who turned up in big numbers to vote for their various party leaders at Rest Camp Community Center in Nyaravur-Angal Town Council were made to wait as chaos disrupted the normal election schedule over suspected irregularities.

The NRM party registrar for Nyaravur-Angal Town Council, Jame Piranok, said chaos erupted during the Sub-county NRM elections when supporters of Francis Obedgiu, who competed with Ramadhan Ongan, the incumbent party chairman, rejected LC II and its executives from participating in the elections because they were not on the NRM party structures list of eligible voters.

“Chaos erupted during the Sub-county NRM elections when the supporters of Francis Obedgiu, who competed with Ramadhan Ongan, the incumbent party chairman, rejected LC II and its executives not to participating in NRM elections because they’re not on the NRM party structures list eligible to vote,” Piranok explained.

The election resumed after two hours of consultations with the national NRM headquarters to confirm whether LC II officials and their executives were allowed to vote. But even after confirmation, they were still rejected by the opposing supporters because their names were not on the list of those eligible to vote. “We started our voting with chaos, but later the situation was calm by following what the NRM party members demanded us to do,” Piranok said.

Francis Obedgiu, who conceded defeat with 46 votes against Ramadhan Ongan’s 111, accused the Sub-county NRM party leaders of failing to properly brief members on voter eligibility. “I have conceded defeats but the party leaders were wrong by not telling us the truth because when mobilizing our voters, we were not told to mobilize LC II and its executives to participate in NRM Sub-county structures elections,” Obedgiu said.

He added: “LC II and its executives are members of local government, and it becomes strange to see them participating in NRM party elections and distorts the meaning of the primary elections.” However, Ramadhan Ongan, who retained his position as NRM Sub-county party chairperson with 111 votes, insisted that LC II officials and their executives are NRM members and eligible voters. “LC II and its executives who are NRM members [are] eligible voters in the NRM structures whereby they participate in the mainstream voting, but they don’t participate in the special party organs voting,” Ongan said. 

He added: “Next time, the NRM secretariats should carry out voters’ education to avoid chaos because NRM is the ruling party, where any form of irregularities that can destroy party identity must be handled before the elections.” “The outcome of this election shouldn’t divide us because we are heading to the 2026 general elections, where our inputs are needed to vote the opposition out,” he added. Irene Amia, the regional NRM coordinator who also served as an election observer,  confirmed the chaos that caused delays in the Sub-county party structures election in Nyaravur-Angal as minor. 

“The elections started with chaos, but it was manageable chaos, that’s why the tempers cooled down, we proceeded with the elections and concluded it well,” Amia said. She added that 30 NRM members elected at the Sub-county level will participate in voting for NRM district party leaders on 26th May 2025.