VIDEO: Mbeya opposition legislator Joseph Mbilinyi alleges vote rigging

Mbeya. Parliamentary candidate for Mbeya Urban on Chadema ticket, Joseph Mbilinyi, alias 'Sugu' said on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 that chances of vote rigging were high despite the presence of his agents in polling stations.

Sugu bagged 108,566 votes during the 2015 General Election to become the legislator with the highest number of votes in the 264-member Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania.

But his record is now facing a litmus test from the former Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Dr Tulia Ackson who is seeking the seat on CCM ticket.

Speaking shortly after casting his vote at Tonya Poling Station in Mbeya, Mbilinyi exuded confidence of carrying the day but he did not play down vote rigging possibilities.

“One of the challenges that have been witnessed since morning was the fact that in some polling stations, our agents were denied entry or were systematically forced to delay entering the stations,” he said.

This, he said, made it difficult for the party’s agents to exercise their duties with diligence.

“From our analysis, the problem was profound in ten centers but we continue to conduct further investigations to ascertain the right number of polling stations that faced the challenge,” he told journalists.

He said election supervisors had deliberately tilted the way agents get their introductory letters. Earlier, he said, agents would be issued with introductory letters before the Election Day but during the ongoing elections, they (agents) are issued with the letters while at the polling station.

Due to the fears, said Sugu, his followers will not leave the polling stations as demanded by authorities.

“The law does not prohibit voters from staying on at the polling station after casting their votes. My voters will not leave the polling stations until the votes are counted and results get announced….In Mbeya, we do not have a tendency of leaving polling stations before vote results are announced,” he said.

Sugu’s opponent, Dr Ackson cast her vote at Sisimba Polling Station