By Bondry Kilenga
The National Resident Movement (NRM) party candidates in Kotido district and Municipality have agreed to hold joint campaigns in a bid to reduce internal rivalry and promote harmony ahead of the primaries.
This decision follows a harmonization meeting convened by Resident District Commissioner, Charles Ichogor to address tensions and prevent election violence orchestrated by the some aspirants and agents.
Since the commencement of NRM party primaries, a number of violent scenes have been reported in Kotido including cases of knife wielding men in Rengen Sub-county.
The district has also witnessed numerous factions engaging in altercations, some resulting in injuries and prompting ongoing police investigations.
The joint campaigns to be launched in a due course is intended at streamlining the electioneering process and foster unity among the candidates ahead of the primaries slated for July 17.
Peter Abraham Irar, the Mayor Kotido Municipality, who is seeking re-election, said the joint campaigns will enable aspirants to focus on issue based campaign rather than engaging in negative propaganda against their opponents.
Alex Locham, the LCIII Chairperson of Central Division who is competing against Irar for the position of Mayor, noted that joint campaigns will provide voters with the opportunity to assess which candidates have manifestos that reflect pressing issues in the community.
However, the Kotido District Woman MP Margaret Aleper Achilla called on her counterparts to exercise politics of maturing during and after campaigns.
Francis Longole, the Kotido District NRM administrative secretary urged all the candidates to adhere to the set party guidelines on joint campaigns.
He warned that candidates who will opt to operate outside the party’s joint campaign framework risks disqualification.
“No candidate will be allowed to operate the party’s agreed guidelines, anyone who disobeys or defies the campaign rules will be disqualified”, Longole emphasised.
He stressed that the joint campaigns model seems to reduce internal rivalry and promote harmony among NRM members, a crucial objective as the party aims to consolidate its grip in the Karamoja Sub-region.
Meanwhile Gaston Mugarura, the 403 Brigade Commander urged them to refrain from actions that could plunge the district back into insecurity.
He challenged the candidates to bury their personal differences since most of them had worked together in the past.
Charles Ichogor remaindered the candidates about the importance of maintaining peace and stability during the electoral process, urging on the security to be on the watch of any form of election violence.
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