By Mulengera Reporters
Calvin Echodu, the wealthy Ugandan who in January made NRM proud by defeating FDC strongman Jonathan Ebwalu for Soroti City West MP Seat, is not having it easy. His honeymoon proved short lived when voters began exhibiting extreme resentment and hostility towards him immediately after the results had been declared.
Mentored by Nandala Mafabi, Mike Mukula and other political heavyweights, Ebwalu started out by being a political talk show host on Soroti-based Voice of Teso. In 2021, he stood as an FDC-leaning independent and won, after developing misunderstandings over how the FDC party primaries in Soroti had been conducted in his area. In 2021, Ebwalu defeated several others including Echodu.
As MP (2021-2026), Ebwalu tried to be very outspoken in Parliament and in the process put Soroti West on the map and did much better compared to his Soroti East counterpart Edmund Ariko. He did build bridges as well and even reconciled with his FDC party whose Secretary General Nandala Mafabi made him PA and even gave him a key role in his campaigns for President.
There was extreme confidence that Ebwalu would secure re-election in 2026 and go on to consolidate his achievements for his people while doing his second term (2026-2031). However, this never happened as a resurgent Echodu ended up being declared winner by the Electoral Commission.
Echodu was riding on the momentum that resulted from the ease with which he defeated long-serving Mike Mukula and became the new NRM Chairman for Eastern region. Mukula’s political demise also had the effect of demoralizing and diminishing Jonathan Ebwalu’s politics. This explains why to some, Ebwalu’s defeat by Echodu was expected and therefore not very surprising.
Yet even after being declared winner, Echodu hasn’t been able to enjoy his honeymoon for long. He is already facing an open revolt even before taking oath and getting inaugurated into office. A significant number of voters have demonstrably refused to accept him while vigorously asserting that Ebwalu remains the man with all the legitimacy to carry the title Soroti City West MP.
There are accusations, which Court should have the opportunity to inquire into, to the effect that Ebwalu’s win was hijacked and falsified in favour of Echodu. Ironically, these are the very allegations people in the Echodu political universe repeatedly made against Ebwalu immediately after the 2021 elections.
The Ebwalu camp members have been so effective at inciting voters to the extent that there is a growing number of areas in the constituency where Echodu can’t freely go.
At public functions, his representatives have occasionally been booed and chased away by community members who say they don’t want Echodu. They say that he is too quiet to match the Ebwalu standards and be an effective voice for them in Kampala.
Even before he begins demonizing him openly, Ebwalu is said to have gone underground from where he is continuing to ferment the deadly political mischief aimed at making the constituency ungovernable for the stinking rich Calvin Echodu who exactly used the same money to make his master, Mike Mukula regret the day he was born.
In the end, Echodu humiliated Mukula out of the CEC race last September and ended up becoming the new party regional Chairman for Eastern Uganda with a landslide victory. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
