There wasn’t need for celebration after by-election, Polepole tells Makonda
What you need to know:
- Videos have gone viral on social media and a section of mainstream channels, depicting Mr Makonda tossing bottles of drinks with the police—celebrating after Sunday’s by-elections.
Dar es Salaam. There was no reason for the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda to celebrate with police officers after the just-ended by-elections, said Mr Humphrey Polepole, the CCM’s Ideology and Publicity Secretary on Tuesday September 18.
Videos have gone viral on social media and a section of mainstream channels, depicting Mr Makonda tossing bottles of drinks with the police—celebrating after Sunday’s by-elections.
The ruling party CCM was declared the winner by the National Electoral Commission (Nec) in all parliamentary and councillorship seats.
In the videos, Mr Makonda is seen saying that the region he is leading—Dar es Salaam—was peaceful throughout the election. He claims that security organs beefed up security and that’s why he and police were celebrating after the election.
However, Mr Polepole has come out to claim that the police did not act when Chadema candidate in Ukonga constituency was harassing the returning officers during the polls.
He said this during a press briefing on CCM’s victory in two parliamentary by-elections of Monduli and Ukonga and in other 22 wards.
He claimed that Chadema’s Ukonga candidate Ms Asia Msangi was “witnessed harassing a returning officer and the police were watching and did not take any action.”
“Makonda was not supposed to celebrate because the electoral law was being violated in front of the same police officers who did not take any action,” he said.
Mr Polepole further said that the ruling party CCM still recognises opposition parties because the latter’s criticism was gives it direction too.
But, he said, “The problem with our parties [the opposition] is that they only critize…they can’t even see the good things that the government is doing,” he said.
Mr Polepole said that the opposition should instead focus on improving their manifestos.
“We [in CCM] are shinning because of implementing our manifesto and working to fulfil the promises they made to Tanzanians. They (opposition parties) also need to focus on their own,” he said.
