A growing rift has emerged within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Greater Arua as several incumbent Members of Parliament seeking re-election have withdrawn from joint primary campaign activities, triggering concerns among party supporters and senior officials.
In Arua District, incumbent MP Yovan Adriko and Woman MP Lillian Paparu have abstained from the joint campaigns from the outset. In Arua City, Ayivu West MP John Lematia and Woman MP Maureen Osoru only participated on the first day before opting to campaign independently.
Party insiders suggest that rising public pressure for accountability over the MPs' performance in the past four years is a key reason for the incumbents’ withdrawal. Maureen Osoru, who is seeking a second term, cited internal disorganization and lack of logistical support from the party as reasons for her decision to pull out.
“I wrote to the party leadership about the hooliganism, lack of a public address system, and confusion at campaign venues, but my concerns were ignored,” Osoru said.
Ayivu West MP John Lematia, while addressing voters in the Lugbara dialect, echoed similar frustrations. He said he stepped aside from the joint trail after near-violent confrontations on the opening day of the campaigns.
“I could not wait to see bloodshed, that’s why I decided to go individually. Even so, my colleagues in Terego, Arua Central, and Arua District are doing individual campaigns—why not me?” Lematia posed.
However, the Deputy Resident City Commissioner (RCC) for Ayivu Division, Jonah Godfrey Mbigiti, has urged party supporters to persuade Lematia to return to the joint campaign trail. He warned that continued absence by incumbents could be seen as defiance of party structures and a breach of internal agreements.
NRM Arua City Registrar Tom Amagu noted that none of the incumbents currently campaigning solo had received official clearance. He urged them to manage their supporters, some of whom have been accused of causing disruptions during joint campaign events.
“This behavior threatens the party’s cohesion and credibility in the region,” Amagu stated.
Meanwhile, other parliamentary aspirants still committed to the joint campaign condemned the incumbents' withdrawal. They accused them of undermining party unity and vowed to petition the NRM Secretariat for intervention.
The ongoing logistical challenges—most notably the absence of a coordinated public address system—have forced individual candidates to use their own equipment, resulting in chaotic scenes and further splintering the party’s efforts to conduct organized primaries.
As tensions simmer, observers fear that the growing disunity within the NRM ranks in Greater Arua may adversely affect the party's performance in the upcoming general elections.
