By Frank Kamuntu
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) is celebrating an early victory after five of its candidates were declared unopposed at the close of parliamentary nominations on Thursday, securing their seats in the 2026 elections without facing a ballot contest.
Those confirmed unopposed include Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among (Bukedea District Woman MP), Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North County), Lillian Paparu Obiale (Arua District Woman MP), Catherine Akumu Mavenjina (Older Persons Representative for Northern Uganda), and Ruth Rujoki Mushabe (Kiruhura District Woman MP).
The Electoral Commission (EC) concluded the two-day nomination exercise for Members of Parliament, officially closing the window for contestants to submit their papers ahead of next year’s general elections.
NRM officials hailed the uncontested wins as a strong endorsement of the party’s nationwide support and an early signal of dominance going into the 2026 polls.
“This is a clear vote of confidence in the NRM’s leadership and service record,” one senior party official remarked during celebrations at the party secretariat in Kampala.
However, opposition parties, particularly the National Unity Platform (NUP), have accused the Electoral Commission of colluding with the ruling party to sideline challengers in certain constituencies allegations the EC has not publicly responded to.
The controversy was most visible in Bukedea District, where Speaker Anita Among’s unopposed win sparked uproar. NUP had earlier fronted Florence Asio as its candidate for Bukedea Woman MP, but she failed to appear for nomination on the final day.
According to NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), Asio and her team went missing while travelling from Soroti to Bukedea for the nomination exercise.
“The whereabouts of our candidate for Bukedea Woman MP, Asio Florence, are unknown currently,” Kyagulanyi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Her phone and those of her colleagues have been switched off. The relatives are in distress and searching for them.”
Earlier in the week, three other prospective candidates for the Bukedea seat were reportedly deregistered by the EC on grounds that they were not born in the district a decision that further fueled accusations of unfair exclusion.
Elsewhere, the nomination process was marked by tension in some constituencies. In Kachumbala County, an attempt to block the NUP candidate from entering the EC offices reportedly led to a brief standoff before police intervened to restore calm.
As the NRM celebrates its unopposed gains, opposition leaders are calling for accountability and transparency in the electoral process, saying the integrity of next year’s polls depends on fair and open competition.
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