Sembabule, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Contestants for the National Resistance Movement- NRM party primaries in Mawogola North and West constituencies, Sembabule district have rejected the use of National Identity Cards in today’s elections.
The NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi on Tuesday evening issued new guidelines for the primaries.
According to some of the guidelines, all voters will have to present their National Identification-ID cards before they are allowed to vote.
Although Odoi noted that the commission intended to set clear identifications for legitimate voters for purposes of eliminating non-residents who could have sneaked or stealthily brought in the area to manipulate the process.
However, his suggestion was rejected by four out of the seven candidates in the race.
According to Odoi, the use of IDs will also prevent multiple voting by people from the constituencies.
Jovanice Twongyeirwe, one of the contestants for Sembabule Woman MP argued that the requirement for national IDs is not valid because many voters either lost the cards or registered but are yet to pick them from the National Identification and Registration Authority- NIRA.
She also indicated that many voters in the area were duped by some contestants to forfeit their cards as security after they obtained bribes.
Godfrey Aine Kaguta demanded instead of presenting Identity cards, the commission should set a standard time when lining up should start across the two constituencies, as the best option of preventing people from crisscrossing to various polling stations.
The Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kahamba Kuteesa also NRM party Chairperson for Sembabule district joined the candidates to demand that the Electoral Commission uses the party village councils to verify voters per village.
His idea received support from the candidates, prompting Tanga Odoi to adjust his position.
President Yoweri Museveni also NRM national chairperson earlier directed the Electoral Commission to allow non-registered party members to vote as long as they are verified by the party village leaders.
The primaries are taking place in nine out of the seventeen sub-counties in the district.
They were cancelled on September 4 over allegations of violence.
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