Fight Over Arua City Mayoral Seat Looms Ahead Of Nomination
Caesar Trinity Draecabo while addressing journalists on Thursday Photo Credit Andrew Cohen Amvesi
ARUA. Barely a month to nomination, a bitter fight has already emerged among the top contenders for Arua City Mayoral seat on the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party ticket.
The fight came to light on Labour Day when Caesar Trinity Draecabo convened a press conference at Tropical Suites hotel in Arua City to blame his opponents for trading lies that he has stepped down in their favour.
Draecabo who formerly served as the Arua City Development Forum (ACDF) President, pointed out Al-Hajj Isah Afeku Kato, the former Arua Municipality Mayor and Sam Wadri Nyakua, the incumbent Arua City Mayor as his main opponents spreading lies against him.
“I specifically want to address myself to the lies, the malicious statements that are coming from some aspiring candidates, especially in the position of the City Mayor, Arua City. You are aware that I made it clear that I’m contesting for this position and all along, we have been encouraging the voters to go and update their voter register and be prepared for the entire process,” Draecabo said.
Draecabo, however, noted that in the last two months, he has been receiving information on the lies being spread by some fellow aspirants.
“I received information that one candidate who has been formerly the Mayor of Arua Municipality, Isah Kato, was addressing a team in Binze and telling them that he has spoken to me that I have stepped down for him. I brushed it off because I know that was cowardly,” Draecabo stated.
“And yesterday, I got information arising from a meeting which was first done on the Easter Sunday, whereas the rest of us were celebrating the resurrection of Christ, one of the aspiring candidates was holding a meeting in which they were crafting lies that he has been convinced by some elders from Aringa that he should contest to retain his position as the City Mayor and that is Hon. Wadri Sam Nyakua.
All of you are aware that in the last two years, Hon. Wadri Sam Nyakua has been telling the public that he is not contesting in 2026. Now his change of mind should not be grounded on lies. Lies on respected personalities of this region; the elders, claiming that they approached him and asked him to contest. That is a lie and I have a full list of the people who attended the meeting on Easter Sunday,” Draecabo claimed.
He further said the second meeting Nyakua held three days ago also on Sunday was hosted by some few businessmen who have assured him that they are going to finance him.
“I want to strongly say that the claim that I have stepped down for him is a total lie. It is a malicious statement, it is cowardice and it is uncalled for to be coming from the person of Hon. Wadri Sam Nyakua who has been one person we respected because for long, he has been in the political domains,” Draecabo said.
But when contacted on phone, Nyakua denied the allegations labeled against him, saying he has never met the said elders and businessmen Draecabo is talking about.
“My brother, I don’t know those things! This is going to be my fourth time of contesting in elective positions and I have never come unopposed. So, Caesar is coming for Mayoral elections, let him prepare adequately and we face with him in the field because I’m also not a joke. Let him not quake,” Nyakua said.
Instead Nyakua advised that the politics of smearing people doesn’t help because at the end of it all, they will need each other.
“Tell him, he should just prepare adequately, make his points because the electorate is the judge. Otherwise, I’m currently a commander, you can’t ask a commander whether he is going for war or not because anytime the commander is there leading the war,” Nyakua remarked.
He stressed that Draecabo shouldn’t get worried but prepare his manifesto and come. Nyakua assured Draecabo that his manifesto is ready, warning that he is going to defend the trophy (Mayoral seat).
“I’m coming and if God has made it for him, he will go, if God has made it for me, I will go. But as we are going for this thing (politics), let us treat each other as brothers and sisters, not as enemies because these are not personal matters. I don’t want our people to be torn apart because of politics and I’m above that,” Nyakua said
Similarly, Al-Hajj Kato said if Draecabo is coming into power, he should stop relying on rumors.
“I will call him a liar because I have never met a gathering where I mentioned his name and I will never do that because I have been a leader; I know what it is to be a leader and I know what it means to talk somebody’s name,” Kato said.
He implored Draecabo to think of giving people his agenda other than talking about Isah Kato.
“Let us meet on ground, if he wants to step down, let him step and if he keeps on talking like that, he will look like a coward but for me, I’m already on ground and I have never met any gathering because I’m yet doing my consultations,” Kato said on phone.