The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has intensified its grassroots mobilisation in Adjumani West Constituency, deploying its campaign teams village by village as it seeks a decisive victory for its flag bearer, James Pilli Leku, in the September 17 by-election.
The party has mapped out all 99 villages in the constituency, with NRM leaders and mobilisers moving directly to communities to engage voters, explain the party's development record and rally support behind Leku.
The village-to-village strategy is being used alongside the NRM's wider Parish and Sub-county mobilisation approaches, but party leaders say the Adjumani West campaign requires a more direct grassroots engagement because of the limited time before polling day.
NRM Vice Chairperson for Northern Uganda, Hamson Obua, said the campaign teams had been deployed to ensure that no village is left behind.
"On the campaign of our candidate, James Pilli Leku, we have deployed a village-to-village approach. There are 99 villages that we shall reach within this limited period," Obua said.
Obua said the strategy is intended to take the campaign directly to the voters rather than relying only on large rallies, allowing party leaders to engage communities at the grassroots and consolidate support for the NRM candidate.
The mobilisation drive has already covered several parts of Adjumani Town Council, including Biyaya, Central, and Cesia wards, where party leaders held more than 15 rallies on the second day of the campaign.
According to NRM Director of Mobilisation and Cadre Development, Rosemary Nansubuga Seninde, the party held about 15 rallies on the first day of the official campaign before shifting its focus to Adjumani Town Council.
She said the campaign would continue with intensive grassroots mobilisation ahead of President Yoweri Museveni's rally in Adjumani on Tuesday.
The President is expected to join the campaign and appeal to voters to support the NRM candidate on the basis of the party's record in maintaining peace, expanding infrastructure, and promoting wealth creation.
Seninde said the grassroots campaign was not only about securing votes but also about rebuilding cohesion within the NRM in Adjumani following divisions that emerged during the party's primary elections.
"Our campaign strategy as a team is to mobilize the masses and the people to promoting unity. Much as we are campaigning for a candidate to win, we are campaigning for unity. That is the most important thing," she said.
She welcomed the withdrawal of former NRM primary contestants Ben Anyama and Patrick Tandrupasi, as well as Daniel Izale, saying the development would help consolidate support behind the party flag bearer.
Seninde said the withdrawal of the former contestants followed engagements and was voluntary, adding that the party's priority was to ensure that internal competition did not continue to divide its support base during the by-election.
Obua similarly said the major challenge facing the NRM in Adjumani was internal cohesion rather than competition from outside the party.
"Our Adjumani district, first of all, supports the National Resistance Movement. If there are challenges in Adjumani, they are more internal challenges within the NRM than external," he said.
Leku, meanwhile, called on his former competitors to join hands with him and work for the development of Adjumani West if he is elected.
He pledged to continue development priorities associated with the late General Moses Ali, including the Obongi-Adjumani road, development of Adjumani Stadium and efforts to have Adjumani town elevated to a municipality.
Leku said he had no ill feelings towards those who competed against him during the NRM primary and was already engaging some of them.
"When people contest an NRM primary election, you are a relative who competes for the seat. And when you win the seat, you are chosen as an NRM flag bearer. Therefore, I have no bad heart for those who contested with me," Leku said.
He urged his former opponents to join his campaign and work together for the constituency's development.
President Museveni's campaign visit is expected to provide the final major mobilisation push as the NRM seeks to consolidate its grassroots support and deliver Leku a strong victory on September 17.