The National Resistance Movement Party Secretary-General, Richard Todwong has rallied local leaders and locals of Omoro County to vote for Andrew Ojok Oulanyah, the NRM flag bearer if they are to witness speedy development.
Todwong says voting for opposition figures especially the National Unity Platform candidate Simon Toolit Akecha will drag development not only in Omoro County but the district as a whole.
He made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking to NRM LCI, and LCII chairpersons of Acet Town Council, and NRM registrars from villages, parish, and District levels in Acet Town Council.
Todwong says there is no way the government led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni also the NRM party Chairperson can fulfill pledges in the area where an opposition candidate has been entrusted as a leader in Parliament.
He notes that major developmental projects are first taken to the NRM strongholds while areas that haven’t voted ‘wisely’ wait on the list citing Amuru District where most of its leaders are in opposition.
He says there is no way the government can be pleased to respond to the concerns of the people if a different person rather than an NRM candidate is voted.
According to him, the government has already earmarked the tarmacking of the Gulu-Moroto road that connects Gulu City through Omoro to Pader district but notes that ‘bad voting’ can delay its implementation.
Todwong however dismissed claims that the presence of NUP in the by-election is giving them sleepless nights when asked in an interview with Uganda Radio Network-URN.
He says they are not bothered by NUP candidate Akecha arguing that they are sure of winning by a landslide margin since the same candidate lost in his previous attempts in Parliament and District Chairperson Omoro in 2016 and 2021 respectively.
But Akecha in an earlier interview with URN said he is better placed to lead the people of Omoro owing to his leadership experience other than the NRM candidate who is still a political novice.
Akecha stressed his ambitious plans to lobby for Ambulances to help transport expectant mothers free of charge to deliver and ensure that the Gulu-Moroto road is tarmacked.
A total of six candidates including Akecha and Ojok are in the race to fill the vacant Omoro County Parliamentary seat that fell vacant on March 20th following the death of former legislator and Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah.
The other candidates in the race are; Oscar Kizza, the Alliance For National Transformation-ANT flag bearer, Forum for Democratic Change Party flag bearer Justine Odong, Terrence Odonga, and Jimmy Walter Onen all independent candidates.
The candidates commenced campaigns on May 16th ahead of the by-election slated for May 26.