How NRM Dismantled Opposition In Gweri County

 January 20, 2026   |    54 views

By Our Reporter I Ngariam Focus

Gweri County in Soroti District  has long been spoken of in hushed, resigned tones by ruling party strategists—a constituency carved in opposition stone, guarded fiercely by Hon. Tom Julius Ekudo and the FDC machinery.

For years, elections here followed a familiar script: opposition dominance, NRM resistance, predictable endings.

Then Hon. Herbert Edmund Okworo Ariko, who is also the NRM District Chairman for Soroti,

 arrived. And the script was torn to shreds.

What followed was not a contest. It was a reckoning. A political earthquake that redrew Gweri’s map, altered its history, and decisively ushered the National Resistance Movement (NRM) into a constituency once firmly held by the opposition.

When Everything Changed

When Ariko made the bold decision to shift from the tangled, confused politics of Soroti City East and pitch camp in Gweri County, seasoned observers knew something was brewing. This was no retreat. It was a calculated advance.

Ariko did not come shouting slogans. He came with work.

He did not wait for votes. He first delivered service.

From the lowest grassroots cells to the highest opinion leaders, Ariko listened, engaged, and acted. Slowly, methodically, Gweri began to change colour.

The Numbers That Tell The Story

When the final declaration of results was announced, the figures spoke with brutal clarity:

1. Herbert Edmund Ariko (NRM) – 11,862 votes

2. Samuel Ekaju Eninu (Independent) – 3,359 votes

3. Tom Julius Ekudo (FDC, Incumbent) – 2,070 votes

4. David Asubu (Independent) – 258 votes

5. Abel Opolot (Independent) – 178 votes

This was not just a win.

It was an obliteration.

The long-reigning opposition strongman was reduced to a distant third. The FDC grip on Gweri snapped—decimated, dismantled, politically humbled.

Projects That Spoke Louder Than Rhetoric

Ariko’s landslide did not fall from the sky. It was built, brick by brick, village by village.

Across all corners of Gweri County, his footprint is visible:

Clean water projects, including the transformative Omugenya Water Project,now serving hundreds of households

NWSC Piped water supply extensions to Aukot and Awaliwal

Electricity expansion,with power steadily reaching every village

 Expansion of Electricity power lines in Aukot and Awaliwal 

Access roads opening up farmlands and markets

Solar lighting in trading centres, extending business hours and improving security

Support to schools and churches, strengthening the social fabric

Teachers’ houses, restoring dignity to educators

Construction of Aukot Community Senior Secondary School, a game-changer for education

Support to SACCOs, empowering households economically

And for the youth, Ariko invested not just in promises, but in pride and identity:

The Ariko Annual Cup, uniting young people across the county

Cultural competitions such as Ajosi, Akoogo, and bands, reviving heritage and talent

This was development politics—visible, tangible, and inclusive.

Veteran Voices Speak

Veteran politician and former Gweri Sub-county LC5 Councillor, Hon. Richard Ongodia, was unequivocal in his praise.

“What Ariko did is what the people of Gweri had waited for years to see—leadership that touches every village. This victory is deserved. Gweri has chosen development over empty politics.”

Respected stakeholder Jorem Opian Obicho echoed the sentiment:

“Ariko united Gweri. Young and old, women and men, traders and farmers. This was not an election; it was a referendum on performance.”

Celebrations Without Boundaries

As results filtered in, celebrations erupted across the county—

From Aukot to Awaliwal,

From Gweri to Amukaru,

Telamot to Takaramiam,

Agule, to Otidonga.

Drums rolled, ululations pierced the air, and Gweri danced—not just for a man, but for a new political chapter.

Ariko Speaks

In his victory message, a composed but emotional Ariko dedicated the win to the people:

“This victory belongs to you—the people of Aukot, Gweri and Awaliwal. I will not leave you. I will be with you in good times and difficult times. We shall mend every wound, one at a time, until Gweri fully heals from the claws of opposition neglect.”

What Next For Gweri

With the opposition dismantled and the NRM firmly planted, Ariko’s focus now turns to the future:

Completing unfinished projects.

Scaling up service delivery.

Rolling out new development initiatives.

The mandate is clear. The path is open.

Gweri County has spoken—loudly, decisively, and finally.

And in doing so, it has crossed a political bridge from opposition stronghold to NRM fortress,carried firmly on the shoulders of Hon. Herbert Edmund Okworo Ariko.