The former Tororo Municipality legislator Sanjay Tanna, a veteran NRM cadre and candidate for Chairperson of the NRM Entrepreneurs League in the Central Executive Committee (CEC), has withdrawn from race citing what he described as widespread irregularities that have “fatally compromised” the credibility of the election.

In a letter addressed to the NRM Secretary General and copied to the Party’s Electoral Commission, Tanna accused the process of being marred by malpractice, voter bribery, and deliberate inaccessibility of the electorate.

“Together with fellow candidates, I first submitted a joint petition on 17th August, later raised the same concerns before CEC during vetting on 21st August, and again through my formal letter of 23rd August,” Tanna wrote.

“In all these submissions, I highlighted grave irregularities, including the bribery and ferrying of voters outside the country, and the fact that the majority of the voter base was rendered inaccessible by being scattered in hotels and denied to candidates for lawful engagement,” He added.

Despite these petitions, Tanna said no corrective action had been taken by the Party leadership.

“Regrettably, despite these efforts, the violations have persisted. The credibility of the election has therefore been fatally compromise,” Tanna said.

The former legislator and businessman, however, reaffirmed his loyalty to the ruling party, stressing that his decision was made “with regret, but with firm conviction.”

“I remain a loyal cadre of the NRM, committed to the Party’s vision and values, and it is my hope that the leadership will reflect on these concerns to strengthen the integrity of our internal democratic processes,” he stated.

His withdrawal, just two days before the scheduled polls, has sparked fresh debate over transparency within the ruling party’s electoral system. Political observers say the move is likely to cast a shadow on the credibility of the exercise and fuel wider scrutiny of the NRM’s internal democracy.