KAMPALA, UGANDA 22 July 2025 – President Yoweri K. Museveni, the National Chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, has announced that a legal tribunal will rectify the results of the recently concluded NRM primaries, vowing to cancel the victories of candidates who were fraudulently declared winners.
In a strong statement addressed to NRM members and Ugandans, President Museveni acknowledged that the “glorious NRM primaries” were “polluted by mistakes committed by self-seekers.” He identified these mistakes as altering results, bribery, and interference with registers, which he described as both criminal and a distortion of electoral law and politics.
“What was crucial and urgent was the criminal side of committing fraud by altering results, using violence and bribery,” Museveni stated, noting that state structures like ISO and CID have already made arrests and pressed charges against the culprits.
Addressing the “political and legal aspects” of the irregularities, the President questioned why Dr. Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson, had not corrected and announced the proper results, especially given that voting was by lining up and results were publicly visible.
However, Museveni clarified that legal advice indicates Tanga Odoi cannot correct a mistake he oversaw. Instead, a “lawyers’ committee (the Tribunal)” will handle the political and legal implications. This tribunal will be guided by the same facts and evidence that led to the arrests by ISO and CID.
“Therefore, those affected by the mistakes of the mistake-makers, should know that their grievances are already being addressed. Everything will be rectified. It is just the facts and evidence that will conclude the matter,” President Museveni assured aggrieved party members.
This move underscores the NRM’s commitment to addressing the widespread complaints and irregularities that marred the recent primary elections, with the promise of ensuring fairness and justice for all affected candidates.