The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission has declared Tanga Collins, son of NRM Electoral Commission chairperson Tanga Odoi, as the duly elected National Chairperson of the NRM Youth League after hotly contested internal elections.
According to official results released in Kampala, Collins polled 1,567 votes, defeating his closest rival, Brenda Kiconco, who garnered 1,355.
Together, the two candidates accounted for the bulk of the ballots cast, with a total of 2,922 valid votes tallied across all contestants.
Other contenders in the race included Nicolas Nuwagira, Jacob Eyeru, Henry Twasimira, Pascal Matamba, Geoffrey Mugisha, Wilson Otto, and Mackline Namukasa, all of whom trailed far behind the leading pair.
The youth elections, part of the NRM’s internal processes to fill positions within the party’s special organs, were held overnight on Tuesday, August 26, with tallying stretching into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
However, the declaration of Collins as the winner sparked chaos, with protests breaking out among sections of the youth delegates.
Many questioned the credibility of the process, pointing to potential conflicts of interest since the election was overseen by an electoral commission chaired by his father.
The situation escalated to the extent that President Yoweri Museveni, the NRM national chairperson, was called by phone and addressed delegates through a public address system.
Museveni reportedly urged calm and called for the youth elections to be cancelled and rescheduled for a date when he would personally be present to oversee them.
It remains unclear whether Museveni’s directive will affect Collins’s victory, as the NRM Electoral Commission has already issued a formal declaration form naming him winner.
The Commission maintained that the exercise was successfully concluded and urged all candidates to unite in advancing the party’s agenda.
The uncertainty leaves the NRM Youth League leadership in limbo, with observers keen to see whether the party hierarchy will uphold the declared results or heed Museveni’s call for a repeat election.
