By KT Reporter
State Minister for Higher Education Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo has urged campaigners for the ruling NRM not to coerce voters into supporting the party.
Speaking in Bamunanika Constituency, Dr. Muyingo argued that residents who support opposition parties should instead be “sweet-talked” and persuaded calmly, noting that a softer approach could eventually win them over to the NRM.
Dr. Muyingo, a former MP for Bamunanika Constituency, made the remarks while launching a special campaign programme for NRM presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni at Ddegeya Village in Luwero District. He explained that as campaigners traverse the constituency seeking votes for President Museveni, they are likely to encounter voters who will question the NRM’s strength compared to opposition parties.
The minister urged the teams to respond by showing kindness, patience, and respect to everyone, especially those who oppose the ruling party. According to Muyingo, some opposition supporters may hurl insults at campaigners, but he advised them not to retaliate, insisting that responding with love would best represent the values of the NRM.
He further encouraged campaigners to “teach manners” to those who act abusively, but to do so in a respectful and non-confrontational manner. He expressed confidence that such conduct would convince even the angriest critics that the NRM is a party worth supporting.
At the same event, Abdukarim Wasswa Tamale, the Coordinator of the National NRM Chairman’s Office in Luwero District, urged campaigners to do everything possible to secure victory for President Museveni in the district. He warned that it would not be an easy task.
Muyingo’s appeal comes shortly after the NRM rolled out a new Parish Mobilization Strategy. On Friday, Deputy Secretary General Rose Namayanja Nsereko and Party Treasurer Amb. Barbara Nekese Oundo launched the parish-based grassroots initiative aimed at boosting support for President Museveni and other party flagbearers.
Under the strategy, campaign teams have been deployed across all parishes in Uganda to popularize Museveni’s candidacy. According to Electoral Commission data, in the 2021 general elections in Luwero District, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of the National Unity Platform (NUP) secured the highest number of votes with 103,782. NRM candidate Yoweri Museveni came second with 41,166 votes. The remaining nine opposition candidates shared a total of 2,374 votes, distributed as follows:
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