Deep divisions as CUF meeting ends in chaos
What you need to know:
Congress was postponed indefinitely at 8pm after chaos ensued as delegates hurled furniture at each other, and uttered unflattering words against secretary-general Seif Shariff Hamad
Dar es Salaam. The Civic United Front (CUF) National Congress held Sunday in the city to elect new party leadership exposed deep divisions in the opposition party as the resignation of former chairman Prof Ibrahim Lipumba was officially endorsed.
The Congress was postponed until further notice at around 8pm after chaos ensued inside the meeting hall. Delegates started hurling furniture at each other while uttering unsavoury words against CUF secretary general Seif Shariff Hamad.
The congress had been convened to fill the positions of party chairman and vice-chairman following the resignation of Prof Lipumba and Juma Haji Duni last year.
Before the election took off, delegates were asked to choose to either accept or reject Prof Lipumba’s resignation filed on in August last year as provided for by CUF Constitution.
The 832 delegates from both Tanzania Mainland and the Isles debated for hours before casting their votes. The results announced at around 6.30pm stated 476 delegates voted in favour of accepting Prof Lipumba’s resignation against 14 out of 625 who voted paving way for the election to go ahead.
Tensions were visibly high. Groups of people had gathered since morning singing and demonstrating outside the venue of the indoor meeting. Some carried banners decrying alleged injustice by the party establishment that didn’t want to see Prof Lipumba’s retake of the party chair. Security was tightened by heavy deployment of armed police and CUF youth groups famously known as Blue and White guards.
The Blue Pearl Hotel management, where the congress was held hired its own security to maintain peace.
The Congress started at 11am after the arrival in the meeting hall of acting chairman, Mr Twaha Tasilima, secretary general, Seif Shariff Hamad, deputy secretaries general Magdalena Sakaya (Mainland) and her Zanzibar counterpart Nassor Ahmed Mazrui.
Soon enough, chants were heard from groups of people outside the hall insisting that Prof Lipumba, who had not yet arrived at the venue, should be allowed to attend the Congress. The Prof arrived at 2.49pm and scores of CUF members escorted him to the conference hall.
The meeting resumed at 6pm and members went straight ahead to cast votes to accept or reject Prof Lipumba’s resignation. Pandemonium ensued after the results were announced. Some delegates protested, saying the CUF Constitution that requires a secret ballot for such an exercise had been violated.
The meeting was then adjourned due to the chaos. It resumed an hour later, but was postponed again at around 8pm after chaos resumed. Three party members had been endorsed by CUF supreme governing body in its Friday meeting to vie for the chairmanship. These were acting chairman Twaha Taslima, Mr Juma Shaaban Mkumbi and Mr Riziki Shahari Mngwali.
Other contestants include Abdul Omari Mzee, James Kija Mahangu, Joseph Magoigo Arobi, Salum Khalfan Baruani, Suleiman Hatibu and Zuberi Mohamed Kuchauka were axed.
CUF Election and Planning Director Shaweji Mketo, told reporters before the congress kicked off that Mussa Haji Kombo and Salim Abdallah Bimani had been approved to contest for the position of vice chairman after Juma Ameir Muchi and Juma Duni Haji withdrew their candidatures.
