By Our Reporter
The Nwoya District Woman MP Adong Lily has openly declared war against the NRM after losing the flag to Judith Wani. This is the second time Adong is facing humiliating defeat by Achan Judith Peace.
Adong, who boasts support from some influential NRM officials, has vowed to go ahead and stand as Independent but NUP leaning, choosing to go against the official party policy which bars losers in party primaries from returning to contest as Independents.
She made the pronouncements recently while appearing on local FM radio stations Rupiny and Favour where she said that “no one can stop her from standing as an Independent candidate.” This was in direct response to the deputy secretary general Richard Todwong who had earlier on appeared on radio clarifying issues concerning the party position on independents.
On the same radio programme, the legislator asserted that she needs the parliament job to continue crusading against land-grabbing especially by some individuals who are protected by the First Family. It’s not clear which land-grabbers she was alluding to though Nwoya District has of late attracted a number of large-scale investors in commercial farming and agro-processing.
She also lashed out at the President for planning to grab the people’s land at Lamin Latoo State farm.
According to sources close to her, Adong Lily has openly declared war on NRM by vowing her continued support to the Opposition most especially People Power or NUP. She is reported to have done a lot of work for NUP in Nwoya in terms of mobilisation and creating structures, and she has encouraged most of her followers and supporters to pick nomination forms to stand on NUP ticket. She claims to have stated in one of the meetings that she has come a long way with Bobi Wine, and that is why she was among the people who stood surety for the Kyadondo East legislator in Gulu when he was facing charges of treason and among others.
It’s worth noting that Adong was among the MPs who vehemently opposed the constitutional amendment to remove presidential age limits. She has also been cited joining hands with opposition politicians from the Greater North to oppose NRM programmes and mobilise the populations against President Yoweri Museveni to the extent that early this year, while the President had traveled to Nwoya to launch the Bukono Agro-Factory, he told the gathering that “Adong Lily nyara marac” loosely translated as “Adong Lily is bad.” This pronouncement by the President left a bad taste of Adong in the mouths of the populations especially from Nwoya, and it’s reported that it’s one of the contributing factors to her humiliating defeat by Achan Judith, whom locals say is more pragmatic and staunch NRM.
Adong Lily’s resentment by the voters was exhibited during the campaign for party primaries in which she is said to have been chased by a rowdy group of youth at Lapok Moo in Purongo where she had gone to canvas for votes. It’s reported that the voters kept heckling and booing her to the extent that they couldn’t allow her to speak, forcing to scamper for dear life. Also recently in Alero, she was denied chance to speak and heckled by rowdy crowds during a burial ceremony. She left after contributing only Shs 50,000.
She is now reported to be more hostile to NRM, making remarks among crowds that “NRM is a party of thieves” and mobilising communities to abandon supporting NRM in favour of Opposition most especially Bobi Wine and NUP. She now moves about distributing campaign materials of NUP in Nwoya.
Before fully hopping in bed with NUP, Adong had gone about telling lies that she was the ‘preferred candidate’ whom the NRM would fund as opposed to supporting the official flag-bearer, but these lies have fallen flat on her face as residents of Nwoya have learnt the truth.
Her close associates are now advising her to make peace and reconcile with Achan Judith Peace and support the flag-bearer so that she doesn’t lose out completely. “If she reconciles with the flag-bearer and campaigns for NRM and President Museveni, she has more to gain than to lose, the President could consider her for another appointment, but if shes chooses to remain stubborn, I see her losing out on every opportunity,” said one of Adong’s strategists who recently crossed over to the flag-bearer.
