I will vote for Museveni, says DP leader Mao

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Democratic Party (DP) president general and justice minister Norbert Mao has said he will, for the first time in his political life, vote for President Yoweri Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flagbearer, in the January 15 election.

Mao made the declaration on Tuesday (January 6) while addressing youths from higher institutions of learning at Gulu University, during a meeting organised by the NRM Secretariat in charge of the youth and institution desk, led by Maj. Okwiri Rabwoni.

Mao, who is also campaigning for the Laroo–Pece Division parliamentary seat in Gulu City, attributed his decision to improved dialogue and reconciliation between the NRM government and the Acholi people.

“I will vote for Museveni because he has agreed to unite the country,” he said.

The DP leader acknowledged that in previous elections, he was scattering votes for Museveni, but this time he is on the ground to gather votes for the NRM stalwart.

He said he was not voting for Museveni before due to disagreements arising from the insurgency period in northern Uganda.

According to Mao, the sustained engagement between the government and communities in the region had since changed the political environment. He cited voting trends in the Acholi sub-region as evidence of changing attitudes towards Museveni.

The justice minister expects that support for the President would increase in the 2026 elections as more voters familiarise themselves with the NRM manifesto.

Furthermore, he attributed Museveni’s earlier low support to resentment following the overthrow of former president Tito Okello and the impact of military operations against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). 

Mao said the Juba Peace Agreement later restored confidence and improved relations between the government and the Acholi people.

“NRM was once perceived as distant and Kampala-based,” he said, adding that recent outreach efforts had helped rebuild trust.

As part of his own campaign, Mao highlighted developments in Gulu, including its elevation to city status, the growth of Gulu University, and infrastructure improvements linked to Uganda’s preparations for co-hosting the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

He also cited an agreement signed on January 6 with the National Council of Sports to refurbish Pece War Memorial Stadium as a training facility.

Addressing NRM youth leaders from institutions across northern Uganda at the university library, Mao urged them to support Museveni, citing gains in security and development.

“Uganda was once insecure. Today, we are providing security support to other African countries."

The DP leader urged the youths to counter what he termed negative narratives about the NRM through radio talk shows and social media, but expressed concern that some lacked adequate knowledge of the party’s achievements.

He directed the NRM secretariat to distribute soft copies of the party manifesto to improve messaging.

Gulu University communication officer, James Ojok Onono, said the expansion of higher education institutions in northern Uganda had reduced the need for students to travel to Kampala. He cited Gulu, Lira, Muni, and Busitema universities as beneficiaries of government investment.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. George Openyjuru Laadah urged communities to prioritise education, saying the future of families and society depends on sustained investment in knowledge and skills.

He said the university was ready to work with any government but expressed confidence that the NRM would retain power in this year's elections.