In Lango, the leadership of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has shifted its political allegiance to support National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. This move follows the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision in September to block UPC from fielding its own presidential candidate, citing legal grounds.

The UPC’s legal challenge to overturn the EC's decision proved unsuccessful when the High Court in Kampala upheld the Commission’s ruling. The outcome left many party supporters divided on the way forward.

Amidst this uncertainty, several UPC leaders took to the campaign trail across Lango to voice their support for President Museveni. Chris Ongom, the party’s regional vice chairperson for Lango, publicly announced that without a UPC candidate in the race, their support would now go to Museveni.

During a campaign event in Oyam attended by the President, Ongom, who also serves as a councilor representing Acaba Sub-county in Oyam District, stated that he, his household, and his supporters were fully backing Museveni.

“My home people, at my age, I can tell which side the tree is bending and eventually falling. So, I want to tell you that this year, the tree of becoming the President of Uganda is falling on the side of His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni,” he said.

Similarly, last Friday, Geoffrey Alex Ogwal, the Kwania District Chairperson and another committed UPC member, also endorsed Museveni. He pledged to support Museveni’s campaign and appealed to the President to prioritize road improvements in the district.

Meanwhile, not all UPC supporters are aligned with this shift. A portion of the party’s youth wing has instead thrown its support behind the National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

In response to these divisions, Denis Hamson Obua, the NRM’s Regional Vice Chairperson for Northern Uganda, called on UPC supporters to align with their party leaders.

“This is like what is written in the Bible about a man who was known as Saul but eventually became Paul. So as a follower, once your commander shifts his post, then you must follow suit,” he said.