For the Gogonyo County Parliamentary seat, National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Derrick Orone has been declared the sole candidate.
In the race for the Gogonyo County Parliamentary seat, Derrick Orone of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has been declared the sole candidate.
Issa Taligola an independent candidate who had earlier expressed a desire for the seat withdrew his candidature from the race on Tuesday.
“In the interest of the party and in respect of your duty as Chairman, I hereby step down,” Taligola told the congregation that had gathered at Kaukura Primary School playground in Gogonyo County.
This, however, comes after opposition candidates including Opolot of FDC and Okoboi of NUP had earlier announced their withdrawal from the race.
Addressing voters on Tuesday, President Yoweri Museveni boosted his earlier intervention that saw all candidates step down in favour of Orone.
“This counts as a day of celebration. I brought together these children and talked to them. Taligola and Opolot have stepped down and Okoboi has stepped down,” Museveni said.
The president called on area residents to rally in support of the NRM candidate saying it would be easier for him to lobby for the area.
“I am telling you to vote for yourselves. The elections are about you, not individuals. It is about which party we should support that can solve our problems,” he urged.
In addition, he implored the people of Pallisa district and Gogonyo County, in particular, to work towards ensuring they use government projects including the Parish Development Model to transform their lives.
He advised people moreso farmers to go commercial saying it is the only way they can be saved from lavishing in extreme poverty.
“For those with small land holdings of 4 acres or less, one can go in for intensive commercial modern agriculture that includes one acre for coffee, one for fruits, one for food crops and in the fourth acre, one can grow pasture for zero grazing,” Museveni said.
“As well, they can practice poultry in their backyards for eggs, piggery for non-Muslims and if a family is near the swamp, fish farming which is more suitable than rice growing which degrades wetlands and this is possible for those with big land chuncks.”
He further assured the people that government has plans to boost the irrigation system in their area to ensure all local farmers benefit in a bid to do away with seasonal farming.
“We are now going to introduce irrigation. I drove all the way from Tirinyi to Pallisa town; there is water and irrigation can be practised on those gentle hills,” Museveni added.
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