President Yoweri Museveni has spoken out strongly against the way the recent NRM party primary elections were handled—and his message is loud and clear: something went wrong, and those responsible must be held accountable.
At the center of his criticism is Dr. Tanga Odoi, the chairman of the NRM’s Electoral Commission. Museveni, who also serves as the party’s national chairman, questioned Dr. Odoi’s handling of the primaries and made it clear that he won’t be involved in fixing the mess.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Museveni didn’t hold back.
“What happens to the flagbearers who were fraudulently declared?” he asked. “Why doesn’t Tanga Odoi change and announce the proper results? Everyone saw the voting—it was done by lining up during the day. How can anyone change those results unless they’re trying to make a fool of themselves?”
According to the President, the party’s legal team advised against letting Dr. Odoi take part in the process of correcting the election irregularities, saying it would be improper for the person who made the mistake to be the one to fix it.
“Our lawyers have advised that Tanga Odoi cannot be the one who corrects a mistake that he made,” Museveni explained. “That work will be handled by the party’s Tribunal—a group of seasoned lawyers who will base their decisions on the same facts that guided state agencies in their investigations.”
The President also announced that eight people have already been arrested for their alleged roles in election fraud. They come from various districts, including Mayuge, Buyende, Kapchorwa, Pader, Oyam, Rwampara, Kareenga, and Mbarara.
Museveni didn’t mince words about their intentions, calling them “self-seekers” who are damaging the NRM’s image and legacy.
“These people don’t care about the reputation or the glorious heritage of the NRM, NRA, or FRONASA,” he said. “This is a heritage built by martyrs and heroes—not opportunists who would rather cheat than fight fair.”
He went on to describe the fraudulent activity as “kutokooza”—a Luganda word meaning to defile or pollute—a term he used to capture the emotional weight of what’s been done to the party’s internal democratic process.
But this is just the beginning. Museveni warned that more arrests are likely as investigations continue. He urged party members to come forward with any evidence of violence, vote tampering, bribery, or manipulation of voter registers.
“Other suspects are being followed up. I’ll keep you updated,” he said. “Meanwhile, we need more evidence. Let’s not allow these people to destroy what we’ve built.”
To handle the fallout, the President said he has set up a high-powered legal committee to manage election petitions and restore order within the party.
“I’ve appointed a team of strong lawyers to sort through the complaints. We are going to clean up the NRM while continuing to safeguard the interests of all Ugandans,” Museveni said.
