ADJUMANI: Former Independent candidate Ben Anyama has called on his supporters and other voters in Adjumani West to vote massively for National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer James Leku Pilli in Thursday's parliamentary by-election, urging them to put past political differences aside and unite.
Speaking to journalists in an exclusive interview on Monday, Anyama said his decision to back Leku was part of his commitment to the NRM and followed an appeal by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who is also the party's National Chairman.
“I want to ask my people, my supporters, and all the people of Adjumani district to forgive each other and forget the past election of Parliament and the past election of LC5, because we are going for another agenda. That agenda is now unity for everybody in Adjumani district,” Anyama said.
He said continued political divisions would undermine the ability of leaders to secure government services and development opportunities for the people.
“As a result, the services and everything cannot work,” he said, adding that unity would enable leaders to work with government to secure services in areas such as health, education, water, and employment opportunities.
The race has another independent candidate, Jasper Draga.
The Adjumani West parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of veteran NRM politician and former Defence Minister Gen. Moses Ali, who represented the constituency for several years.
The by-election has since attracted a contest in which Leku is carrying the NRM flag, with the party mounting an intensive mobilization campaign across the constituency.
Anyama, who described himself as one of the senior NRM cadres in Adjumani, said he joined the movement in 1986 alongside Gen. Moses Ali and subsequently served the government in several capacities.
He cited his appointments to various public positions as evidence of the opportunities he had received under Museveni's leadership, including serving as a director at the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), chairman of the board of the Uganda Content Development Authority and, currently, chairman of the board of directors of NAGRIC.
Anyama said his immediate priority was to promote peace and unity in Adjumani following the death of Gen. Moses Ali.
“What will come next is to see that Adjumani is peaceful, to see that Adjumani people are united, and to see that we back the NRM party for many years to come,” he said.
He urged his former supporters to translate his decision to back Leku into votes on Thursday.
“You vote massively for NRM. Now that we have withdrawn, we must go full swing to support the party. It would be double standards for me to say you vote here but not tell you to vote for NRM,” Anyama said.
He also appealed to Adjumani leaders to meet Museveni after the by-election to discuss the district's political future and ways of maintaining unity following the death of Gen. Moses Ali.
“It is not just about being an MP. Uniting people is another thing,” he said.
Anyama further called on residents to turn up in large numbers for Museveni's campaign rally in support of Leku, saying he wanted to see the venue filled with supporters.
The Adjumani West parliamentary by-election is scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2026, with Leku representing the NRM.
Meanwhile, all is set for the district to host President Museveni on Tuesday in a mega rally at Paridi Stadium in Adjumani Town Council.