Lawyer James Leku Pili, the newly elected Member of Parliament for Adjumani West Constituency, has called on his former opponents and candidates who withdrew from the parliamentary race to put the election behind them and join him in promoting unity and development in the constituency.
Leku made the appeal after he was declared the winner of the September 17 parliamentary by-election, in which he represented the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
He defeated independent candidate Gasper Draga in a contest that followed the death of long-serving legislator and former First Deputy Prime Minister, Gen. Moses Ali, who died in July 2026.
Leku said the conclusion of the election should mark the beginning of a new phase in which political differences are set aside and leaders work together to address the problems facing residents.
“I want all of them to remain united because this was an election, but we are people of Madi and we must remain united to guard our place,” Leku said in his victory remarks.
He specifically invited his fellow contestants and their supporters to join him in serving the constituency, saying the challenges confronting Adjumani West require cooperation beyond political affiliations.
The appeal comes after a competitive NRM primary in which Leku narrowly defeated former Adjumani district chairperson Ben Anyama.
Leku secured 9,336 votes in the NRM primary, while Anyama obtained 9,152 votes, a difference of only 184 votes. The contest subsequently generated divisions within the party as the various aspirants sought the party flag.
The parliamentary contest initially attracted several candidates. However, Anyama and former Forum for Democratic Change candidate Patrick Tandrupasi later withdrew from the race, leaving Leku and Draga to face voters.
The by-election was ultimately conducted on September 17, with the Electoral Commission declaring Leku the winner after tallying results from the constituency’s polling stations.
According to the results reported after the tally, Leku polled 12,432 votes against Draga’s 2,559.
The result gives Leku the responsibility of representing an area that had for decades been politically associated with Gen. Moses Ali.
Building on Gen Ali’s legacy
In his victory speech, Leku paid tribute to the late Gen. Ali, whose death created the vacancy that triggered the by-election.
He acknowledged the former legislator’s contribution to Adjumani West and said he would seek to address some of the challenges that remained unresolved during Gen. Ali’s tenure.
The new MP-elect had previously said his programme would seek to build on Gen. Ali’s development priorities, including infrastructure and connectivity.
One of the major issues raised during the campaign was the construction of the Laropi Bridge over the River Nile, which residents and leaders have described as important for movement, trade and connectivity between Adjumani and neighbouring areas.
Other demands raised during the campaign included improvement of roads, health facilities, schools and electricity infrastructure.
Residents have also called for the tarmacking of the Laropi-Moyo-Afoji road and improvements to the Arua-Kulikulinga-Obongi-Moyo-Adjumani corridor, as well as renovation of Adjumani General Hospital.
Leku now faces the task of translating the campaign promises and the concerns raised by residents into parliamentary advocacy.
Sseninde calls for unity
NRM Director for Mobilisation Dr Rosemary Sseninde also used the outcome to call for unity among political leaders and residents of Adjumani.
Sseninde said the NRM campaign had deliberately concentrated on bringing together party structures, local leaders, mobilisation teams and communities.
She said the same spirit should continue after the election because the constituency’s development needs would not disappear with the conclusion of polling.
“Now that they have a Member of Parliament, they need to all come together, work with him and be able to address the concerns and issues that affect Adjumani because life in Adjumani has to continue,” Sseninde said.
Her comments followed an election campaign in which senior NRM leaders moved through villages seeking to mobilise support for Leku.
Sseninde and other party officials had repeatedly stressed the importance of grassroots mobilisation, with the campaign taking the party leadership to communities across the constituency.
The NRM Electoral Commission chairperson, Dr Tanga Odoi, also praised Leku for maintaining his composure after the party primary and reaching out to other contestants.
Odoi said the campaign’s emphasis on local structures and community participation helped create ownership of the process.
“To me, as a scholar, I think that was the best we did in all the by-elections I have handled. Touching base and building synergies with the local content made the local people own the process,” Odoi said.
Peaceful election
Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama commended the people of Adjumani West for the peaceful conduct of the by-election.
The election followed a campaign period in which political leaders urged supporters to avoid confrontation and maintain unity. Byabakama’s remarks were made after voting, counting and tallying had been completed.
The peaceful conduct of the election was significant because the NRM primary had exposed divisions among several aspirants competing for the party flag.
The primary attracted six other candidates, with Leku emerging as the flag bearer after the September 3 contest.
The subsequent withdrawal of some candidates narrowed the parliamentary race to Leku and Draga.
Despite the reduced field, the election remained important because it marked the first parliamentary contest in Adjumani West following the death of Gen. Ali, one of the most prominent political figures from the region.
Low voter turnout
The election also recorded relatively low participation. Adjumani West had 51,437 registered voters, but only a fraction turned up to vote. Reports from polling stations indicated that some residents were at workplaces and gardens when voting opened.
The Electoral Commission and observers reported a generally peaceful voting process, although the slow turnout in the morning delayed the opening of some polling stations.
The low turnout will form part of the political context in which Leku begins his parliamentary tenure.
For the MP-elect, however, the immediate message is reconciliation. He has urged those who competed against him, as well as their supporters, to join hands with him in serving the people.
Leku said the election was a contest that had ended, while the wider interests of the Madi people remained.
He pledged to work with the community to address the concerns affecting Adjumani West and to pursue some of the development priorities left behind by Gen. Ali.
His victory therefore ushers in a new political chapter for the constituency, with the focus shifting from the campaign to representation, development and the challenge of bringing together a constituency that experienced intense competition during the race.
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