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Works state minister Musa Ecweru says his withdrawal from the Amuria County parliamentary race is the 'most responsible' thing to do to maintain the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party harmony.Ecweru, who is also the incumbent legislator for Amuria, had been nominated to stand as an independent candidate after being trounced in the NRM primaries by little-known secondary school teacher Samuel Ediau.However, in a surprising political turn just a day after national campaign activities officially kicked off, the long-serving Amuria County MP said he had withdrawn from the 2026 parliamentary race.Ecweru, who has represented Amuria County for the last 20 years and served in Cabinet throughout that period, made the revelation on November 11, 2025.After losing the NRM party flag to Ediau, Ecweru opted to run as an Independent candidate, arguing that the primaries had been “grossly mismanaged.” “As the country knows, I was nominated to run as Member of Parliament for Amuria County as an Independent,” Ecweru said. “This was a consequence of the mismanaged elections that happened in many parts of the country, including in Amuria County, where I felt there was outright and gross abuse of the democratic process,” Ecweru told journalists at the NRM offices in Amuria.Ecweru said his decision to run independently followed pressure from the more than 19,000 votes he got in the primaries, but after what he described as “extensive consultations,” he concluded that stepping aside was the most responsible path for the unity of the ruling party.The consultations, according to Ecweru, included discussions with key NRM leaders, including the party chairperson, President Yoweri Museveni.“After consultations with my party leaders and after reflection on the challenges ahead, I have decided that it is critical and important that I withdraw my candidature,” Ecweru announced.“Withdrawing does not mean I endorse what happened, especially the gross abuse of the democratic process. I don’t endorse party and election rigging at all.”Even with his frustrations, Ecweru emphasised that his withdrawal was driven by a desire to preserve harmony within NRM, which he described as pivotal ahead of the 2026 general elections.“In the interest of party harmony and cohesion, and with the guidance of my leaders, I am stepping down,” he said.But throughout his address, Ecweru avoided mentioning the name of the flag bearer Ediau, who trounced him with 29,352 votes against his 19,977, but only gave a blanket statement that “I wish other flag-bearers well.”Though he dismissed any suggestion that his withdrawal implied hostility toward the NRM’s flag-bearer for Amuria County, his failure to declare support for Ediau left people questioning his intentions.Political maturityHowever, the political analyst in Teso, Julius Arugu, working as the Project officer in-charge of outreaches at the Public Affairs Centre of Uganda (PAC), lauded Ecweru’s decision, describing the move as a rare demonstration of political maturity and loyalty to his party.Arugu noted that Ecweru, who also serves as the NRM district chairperson, was expected to spearhead the party’s mobilisation efforts for the 2026 elections rather than split its support base. His decision to run independently, the analyst said, would have posed a significant risk to party unity.“Being a chairperson of the party, personally, I expected him to lead the team from the district because he is a chair,” he said. “But also, him going to contest alone would have actually destroyed the party.”He added that Ecweru’s age, experience, and two-decade political profile would have made a loss to his opponent even if unlikely, politically damaging and personally humiliating.“At that age of his and at the profile he has built, it was really going to frustrate him in the event that the other colleague makes it to Parliament. He would have lost the respect he has earned. People would not have respected him,” Arugu argued.With his departure from elective politics, at least for now Ecweru leaves behind a legacy that stretches from his days as Resident District Commissioner of Kasese to his role in mobilising the Arrow Boys militia, credited with helping push the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels out of Teso in 2003.Whether his withdrawal will calm political tensions in Amuria or deepen divisions remains to be seen. But for now, Ecweru’s final political act this season is clear: Stepping aside so that, in his words, “all energy must now be directed to support President Museveni.”
