By Andrew Cohen Amvesi
ARUA
The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders in Arua district are targeting over 30,000 new members in the upcoming party register display and update exercise.
While addressing journalists at Slumberland hotel in Arua on Saturday March 9, 2024, Eng. Dr. Gabriel Ajedra Aridru, the Arua district NRM chairperson revealed that they intend to grow the number of NRM members to about 100,000 by adding over 30,000 new voters on the list of the existing party members in the district.
Aridru also former State Minister of Finance in charge of General Duties recalled that in the last elections, the district (then Vurra county) had about 70,000 NRM members in total.
But he noted that with the increase in population, they are hoping to register more than 30,000 new NRM members during the display and update of the party register slated to take place at every village from Wednesday 13th to Sunday 17th March, 2024.
“If we look at the annual growth rate of the population of about 5 percent per year, these are about three years, so that is about 15 percent, so we will have to increase the 70,000 by about 15 percent and we are hoping that this time around, we shall hit either 95,000 or 100,000 if everybody has to register. So, we are looking at probably between 90,000 to 100,000 in terms of the numbers of NRM members in the district,” Aridru explained.
Aridru, however, used the opportunity to encourage the people of Arua district to embrace the upcoming NRM exercise so that they can be eligible to participate in party activities.
“The NRM voter display and update is in preparation for two things; one, is to set up the structures of the party right from the village up to the district and also to the national level. So, that is the purpose of this exercise. Once we have credible NRM members right from the village through the parish, the sub-county, the district, then you are able to organize credible elections,” Aridru said.
“And once the exercise has been completed, these registers will be taken back to the Secretariat and then the register will be updated and once it has been updated, it will be sent back to the village for verification and then thereafter, we will be able to plan for the election of the party structure members,” Aridru added.
He said this time around, the registration has been digitized to the extent that all the information is going to be captured on the register starting from one’s village, parish, sub-county and district.
The former Vurra County MP said for that reason, a person needs to have his or her national Identification card or NIN number for purposes of verification to be entered in the system.
“When we had the training, the discussion was we have only members from 18 years and above but I can confirm that the latest information is that we come down to 16 years and the reason is, in two years’ time, all those will be eligible voters in the national elections. So, why don’t we capture them at this particular time in preparations for the general elections which are coming in 2026. So, we are going to update the NRM register for adults and those who are 16 years and above,” Aridru revealed.
In his remarks, Boniface Alioni, the Arua district vice NRM chairperson commended the NRM department of elections for organizing the update of the party register this early.
He said just as his boss (Aridru) had projected, with the current population growth of Arua district, if good mobilization is done for people to register, they honestly expect NRM voters’ membership in Arua district to grow to over 100,000.
“And I want to assure you that we are going to do our best to see that people register. For the case of Arua district which is predominantly NRM, I expect everyone to turn up for this registration in big numbers,” Alioni said.
But Denis Jawoko Okwai, the Arua Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) warned that security operatives in the district are already on standby to deal with people who might be planning to disrupt the exercise.
