Museveni Establishes Tribunal to Overturn Fraudulent NRM Primary Results.
President Museveni has announced the establishment of a special legal tribunal to review and rectify cases of electoral fraud arising from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party’s recent primary elections, signaling a major institutional response to growing discontent within party ranks.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the President said the tribunal—composed of what he described as “powerful lawyers”—will handle both the political and legal dimensions of disputed results, particularly in areas where candidates were fraudulently declared winners despite obvious discrepancies.
“Our lawyers have advised that Tanga Odoi cannot be the one who corrects a mistake that he made,” Museveni wrote, referring to the NRM Electoral Commission chairperson.
“It is the lawyers’ committee (the tribunal) that will deal with politics and the law.”
The announcement follows days of public outrage and internal protest over the July 17 NRM primaries, which were marred by allegations of vote rigging, bribery, register tampering, and violence.
While state agencies such as the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) and the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) have already arrested and charged suspects in multiple districts, President Museveni said a political and legal remedy is still needed to address the status of wrongly declared flagbearers.
“Those affected by the mistakes of the mistake-makers should know that their grievances are already being addressed,” Museveni stated.
“Everything will be rectified. It is just the facts and evidence that will conclude the matter.”
The tribunal’s role will be to review credible complaints and base its rulings on the same evidence that informed the criminal investigations now underway.
This includes the cases of at least eight suspects arrested from districts such as Mayuge, Buyende, Kapchorwa, Pader, Oyam, Rwampara, Kareenga, and Mbarara for result alteration and other electoral offences.
The President’s remarks also offered a direct rebuke to any attempts to manipulate the open lining-up voting system used in the primaries.
“Remember, the voting was by lining up, during the day, and everybody saw the results. How does anybody change that, other than making oneself a fool?” Museveni questioned.
Restoring Credibility Through Legal Redress
The formation of the tribunal is widely seen as an attempt to rescue the credibility of the NRM’s internal democratic processes ahead of Uganda’s 2026 general elections.
By empowering an independent committee to review contested results, the party leadership appears to be acknowledging internal procedural failures and the need for institutional correction.
This legal mechanism could provide hope to candidates who claim they were rigged out despite visibly winning their constituencies.
Among the most contested areas is Rwampara District, where the local registrar was arrested after allegedly attempting to alter the outcome in favor of the incumbent MP, prompting public protests and a forced vote recount that restored the rightful winner.
Also drawing intense scrutiny is Rukungiri Municipality, where the NRM primaries were rocked by allegations of widespread electoral malpractice attributed to the winning camp of retired Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde.
According to rival candidates and party officials, voters were openly bribed—some receiving Shs 50,000—while intimidation and violence were used to manipulate voter choices. The lining-up system reportedly exposed voters to coercion, and in one incident, a Tumukunde agent allegedly assaulted councillor Love Turinawe, leaving her seriously injured.
These incidents have triggered urgent calls for electoral reforms within the NRM, including a possible return to secret ballot voting and stronger oversight of local party structures.
With the tribunal now in place, analysts say the process and outcomes of its rulings will be a defining test of the NRM’s commitment to transparency and internal justice.
Whether the tribunal will operate with sufficient independence and authority to overturn fraudulent declarations remains to be seen.
But Museveni’s directive—combined with ongoing prosecutions—marks a significant shift in approach, as the party attempts to reconcile its revolutionary heritage with the realities of a maturing political landscape.