FDC Accuses NRM of Manipulating Voter Registration Process

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Najjanankumbi faction has accused the ruling NRM party of misleading Ugandans into registering as its members.

According to the FDC, their NRM counterparts, with the full knowledge of the National Electoral Commission, have deliberately scheduled their voter update exercise to run parallel to the Commission’s program.

“This exercise is taking place concurrently with the national process and at the same designated locations,” the FDC alleges.

While addressing the weekly party press conference at the offices on Monday, Robert Centenary, the FDC Najjanankumbi Vice Chairperson, alleged that NRM agents are misleading the public by claiming that the ongoing exercise is exclusively for NRM members, confusing, particularly in rural areas.

Additionally, Centenary argues that this arrangement grants NRM agents direct access to both registers, enabling them to compare the two.

“We have credible information that NRM is closely scrutinizing its register against the Electoral Commission’s records. Their intention is to manipulate this information to remove names from the Electoral Commission register if those individuals have not registered or do not appear in the NRM’s records,” said Centenary.

“Furthermore, the voter registration process is excessively slow and tedious, requiring new voters to fill out a form, take it to the LC1 Chairperson, and then to the GISO for verification. We all know the work of the GISOs, PISOs, DISOs, and RISOs—whatever name you may call them—is to mobilize for NRM and intimidate opponents of the regime. This costly process is meant to discourage new voters who may not be supporters of NRM. The staff of the Electoral Commission are few on the ground and have to move from station to station with the register. This is further complicated by old and inefficient equipment that keeps breaking down.”

According to the roadmap, the FDC Vice Chairman says the National Electoral Commission is set to conclude the voter update exercise on February 10, 2025.

He, however, believes that voters have not received sufficient education about the process, leading to a very low turnout.

The FDC is now demanding that the National Electoral Commission extend the voter registration and update exercise by one month, procure new equipment or refurbish the existing one, and, as the regulatory body for political parties, immediately halt the NRM’s voter update and registration exercise until the National Electoral Commission’s process is completed to prevent further confusion.