National Resistance Movement party on Friday, 23 concluded leadership restructuring exercise from the grassroots to the district, setting the stage for next year’s highly anticipated general election. The internal party elections from the village to the district levels have so far been a revelation of both might and mass power, with almost unprecedented enthusiasm punctuating the exercise from across the country. The most salient and noteworthy observation from the elections has been the enormous turn up everywhere, including areas previously thought to be opposition strongholds. In Kamapala, forexample, enthusiastic members of the ruling side braved exceedingly long queues to vote for their favorite candidates in a statement show of trust in the the ideology of the party and its leadership.
In other areas such as Luuka, Ssembabule, Kiryandongo, Rubaga, among others, one would easily mistake the polls to be presidential. Whereas there have been flashes of hot stakes in these areas which many naysayers have strove to portray as chaos, I would rather classify it as favorable competition arising from the ever-growing mass support for the party. Yet for the majority of this month of May, up until September, the party will continue souring even higher as it concludes the establishment of its leadership structures up to the district level which will then be preceded by the identification of flag bearers for parliamentary,
higher local governments, the central executive and ultimately the presidential flag bearer at the Namboole NationalConference.
Throughout all these engagements, stakeholders will have unrestricted access to take the NRM embalme to the electorate at the grassroots. While counterparts resort to urguably time and resource saving shallow based candidates selection methods to arrive at torch bearers, the yellow party is focusing on utilizing every available opportunity to transmit its message far and wide way ahead of time.
The pomp with which the society has responded with to the month long activities has given birth to another question to be answered by the party and its top executives in as far as actualizing the same zeal come the election day next year. With crowds exhibiting the zeal to take part in the elections, focus will move toward reciprocating the same in the general election which has been elusive in the past general elections. If only SG. Todwong and Dr Tanga Odoi can strategise well to entice the majority of the NRM membership to the polling station come next January, then their challengers wouldn’t have any chance.
The writer is the Deputy RCC for Nakawa Division in Kampala.
