Membe says leaked letter on withdrawal from presidential race is outdated

Dar es Salaam. ACT-Wazalendo Presidential candidate for the United Republic of Tanzania, Bernard Membe said on Sunday, October 25, that the leaked letter in which he reportedly withdrew from the race is outdated.

In the letter, which Mr Membe wrote to the party’s national chairman Mr Seif Sharif Hamad, informing him of his decision to withdraw from this year’s Presidential race.

For unknown reasons, the letter – which was written on September 24, was leaked on Sunday, October 25.

“The September 24, 2020 letter which is circulating in social media platforms on my withdrawal from the Presidential race, is authentic. I penned it after I differed with the position of my party leaders who wanted me to support Tundu Lissu [the Chadema Presidential candidate]…,” Mr Membe wrote on his Twitter page.

He noted, however, that the latter was rejected due to some of the words that had been used.

“…However, the letter was rejected because by wording it like: ‘the position of my leaders’, it was showing a sense of guilty on them,” he twitted on Sunday via his page Bernard K. Membe @BenMembe.

In the leaked letter, Mr Membe, informed Mr Hamad that he had already written a letter to the National Electoral Commission (NEC) over his decision.

There was no immediate reaction from NEC on Sunday, October 25, 2020 as phone calls to director of election Dr Charles Mahera went unanswered.

However, The ACT-Wazalendo leader Zitto Kabwe confirmed to have received a copy of Mr Membe’s letter.

Mr Membe has not been campaigning for almost two months now but he came out last week and told journalists that he was still on the race.

He said decisions by Mr Kabwe and Mr Hamad to openly declare their allegiance to Chadema’s Lissu, were only done in the duo’s personal capacities, noting that as a party, ACT-Wazalendo remained united.

A few days later, Mr Hamad was seen on a campaign rally with Mr Lissu.