NUP Candidate Withdraws from Kwania North MP Race

With just a few days to the national elections, the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate for Kwania North Constituency, Allan Charles Odongo, has withdrawn from the parliamentary race.

Odongo says President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who is also the National Chairperson of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), together with the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, persuaded him to step down.

“Last week, it was Saturday the 31st, I received a call from the office of the President asking me to come to State House to engage,” Odongo said. “When I reached, I was met by Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, and the meeting was lengthy.”

Odongo, who announced that he has officially joined the ruling party, disclosed that he was not the only opposition candidate engaged by the President. He said several others also agreed to withdraw from their respective races after discussions at State House. “We talked about many issues pertaining to our country,” he said.

“Yes, I have defected from NUP to NRM, but some of our conditions are not yet met. We are waiting for the President to fulfill them so that we can fully become NRM,” Odongo added. Odongo threw his full support behind President Museveni and the NRM candidate for Kwania North, James Ongu Tar, pledging to mobilize his supporters to vote for the ruling party. He argued that voting NRM would ensure equitable access to national resources. “This man is mature, hard-working, and is still doing a lot for this country,” Odongo said.

Odongo also cautioned the youth against engaging in violence during and after the elections, urging them to remain peaceful and law-abiding.

Despite announcing his withdrawal, Odongo still requires formal approval and a withdrawal letter from his party’s Secretary General to the Electoral Commission, as party-sponsored candidates cannot independently withdraw from an election race.James Ongu Tar, the NRM flag bearer in whose favour Odongo stepped down, described the move as “big wisdom” and promised to support Odongo in his future political ambitions.

Electoral Commission records show that four candidates were nominated to contest for the Kwania North parliamentary seat. They include incumbent MP Bob Okai of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), James Ongu Tar of the NRM, independent candidate Eveline Awor Pule, and Allan Charles Odongo of NUP, who has since withdrawn, leaving three contenders in the race.

Odongo’s withdrawal brings the number of parliamentary candidates who have stepped down in the Lango sub-region to four. Others include Isaac Apenyo Achol, an independent candidate in Lira City East Division, Patricia Aceng Ogwang (Independent), and Josephine Alice Etit of the Democratic Party, who withdrew from the Lira City and Oyam District Woman MP races respectively. Parliamentary candidates across the country have until January 13 to conclude their campaigns, ahead of the general elections scheduled for January 15, 2026.