By Evas Atwine
Kampala
A section of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) youth leaders from across the country have protested the ongoing rigging of the National Youth Council election scheduled for Tuesday this week in Kampala.
The youth, led by Kalungu District Youth Council Chairperson Yazid Abas Yiga, told the media in Kampala that some officials from the NRM Party’s electoral commission and secretariat have been intimidating delegates, forcing them to vote for their preferred candidates through phone calls.
The youth leaders alleged that some delegates are overage, violating the National Youth Council Act, which stipulates that only individuals between 18 and 30 years old can participate.
They also accuse party officials of planning to eat the allowances meant for youth delegates, a practice they claim was repeated from recent youth MP elections.
The youth have threatened to support opposition candidates if their concerns are not addressed.
They demand that the party chairman urgently intervene to address their concerns, ensure payment of their allowances before voting, and disqualify candidates who are over the age limit.
The youth have made it clear that there will be no voting until their demands are met.
The youth leaders said that they will petition President Yoweri Museveni to postpone the National Youth Council elections, citing irregularities, intimidation, and manipulation by NRM Secretariat officials.
