By Okidi Patrick
OBONGI, UGANDA | October 31, 2025 In a stunning demonstration of its growing political muscle, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has cemented its dominance in Obongi District after six of its candidates for district councilor were declared unopposed for the 2026 general elections.
The Electoral Commission’s nomination exercise, which concluded this week, revealed a complete collapse of opposition structures, with the formerly powerful Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) failing to field a single candidate for six crucial district council positions. This development all but guarantees an NRM-controlled local government and signals a dramatic shift in the district’s political landscape.
This consolidation of power marks the latest chapter in the NRM’s ascendancy in Obongi. Once considered a stronghold for the opposition FDC, the district’s political dynamics have shifted radically since its creation in the 2019/2020 financial year. The NRM has since captured all parliamentary seats, the district chairperson position, and over 90% of sub-county leadership roles.
The FDC’s woes were further highlighted by its failure to present candidates for all special interest groups, including seats for the elderly, persons with disabilities (PWDs), youth, and workers. This absence has paved the way for a wave of unopposed NRM winners who are now merely awaiting swearing-in.
Political analysts in the district attribute the FDC’s collapse to a legacy of underperformance and negative politics. “FDC party in Obongi has lost ground because during their time they told a lot of lies, failed to perform, and were all the time abusing government and using confrontation,” several commentators noted.
The unopposed NRM councillors are:
Ezra Remo Weleya – District Male Councillor for Older Persons
Moriku Letisia Amandu – District Female Councillor for Older Persons
Tiso Zalika – District Male Youth Councillor
Idd Ratib Dekens – District Male Youth Councillor (second seat)
Galea Mary – District Female Councillor for People with Disabilities
Maiku Didi Paul – District Male Councillor for People with Disabilities
Obongi Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr. Samuel Mpimbaza Hashaka, hailed the development as a direct endorsement of the government’s service delivery record. He credited the NRM’s popularity to tangible achievements across key sectors.
“NRM has already done well because of the numerous achievements by the government,” Hashaka stated. He listed providing clean water to over 80% of the population—a rate surpassing the national average—the construction of 17 health centers, and the establishment of government-funded secondary schools in four sub-counties.
Further highlighting ongoing projects, the RDC mentioned the upgrade of Obongi Health Centre IV to a hospital status, similar upgrades for health centers in Itula, Gimara, and Aliba sub-counties, and the positive impact of poverty alleviation programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, and UWEP.
With the opposition in disarray, the NRM is poised to exercise unchallenged political control in Obongi, a stark reversal of fortune for a district that was once a key battleground in Ugandan politics.
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