From left: CCM presidential candidate John Magufuli campaign in Mafinga Town, Njombe Region, yesterday. Right: Chadema presidential candidate addressed a campaign meeting in Himo Township, Kilimanjaro Region, yesterday. PHOTOS | ADAM MZEE AND EDWIN MJWAHUZI
What you need to know:
Chadema’s Edward Lowassa led top opposition leaders to woo supporters in Kilimanjaro Region where the party’s national chairman Freeman Mbowe made the rigging allegations while the ruling party’s candidate John Magufuli was in vote-rich Mbeya Region to market himself.
Vunjo/Mbarali. The main rivals in this year’s race to State House intensified their campaigns yesterday, with the opposition repeating claims that the government has set up a plan to use security organs to manipulate the outcome of the vote.
Chadema’s Edward Lowassa led top opposition leaders to woo supporters in Kilimanjaro Region where the party’s national chairman Freeman Mbowe made the rigging allegations while the ruling party’s candidate John Magufuli was in vote-rich Mbeya Region to market himself.
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) timetable for campaigns shows the teams headed for the remaining battle zones of Mwanza and Arusha in the next few days with only 26 days left before 23.7 million registered voters pick their preferred candidates for presidency, MPs and councilors at the ballot.
Speaking at a public rally at Himo, Mr Mbowe repeated claims that President Jakaya Kikwete was replacing some directors of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) with officials from the National Intelligence and Security Services (TISS).
He claimed that removal of some directors has been done in the past two weeks. Among those who have been eased out from their posts include NEC Director of Election Julius Malaba and the IT director.
According to Mr Mbowe, the Head of State has replaced NEC directors with TISS officials who are ready to assist CCM to rig election results.
“We have been complaining on the way NEC operates, it is obvious that NEC is not independent; many things are happening now because President Kikwete and CCM officials are cannot be certain what could happen in October 25,” he said.
NEC chairman Judge (rtd) Damian Lubuva has in many occasions refuted similar claims that suggest his team is being interfered with, saying the electoral body was operating independently and not at the whim of anyone or under command of the government as claimed by the Opposition.
The opposition leader challenged the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Davis Mwamunyange, to come out and tell the public that his men are not involved in NEC activities.
He also claimed to have been informed that fake ballot papers were being circulated in Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya regions.
At the meeting, Chadema presidential candidate Lowassa said Tanzanians have already decided and CCM should prepare itself to become an opposition party.
As Chadema spoke of vote rigging, the CCM candidate John Magufuli was in Mbarali pulling hundreds of people in his rallies. At his meeting in Mbarali, Dr Magufuli pledged to relocate over 1,800 acres of land demarcated to an investor for rice farming. The CCM Ikulu candidate promised to end the longstanding dispute between residents of Mbarali and management of Kapunga Rice Project Limited which they had accused to unlawfully taking part of their land.
Addressing residents of Igulusi, Chimala and Rujewa in Mbarali, Dr Magufuli said he was aware of the dispute involving the investor who was allocated over 6,800 acres of land instead of 5,000 acres.
He called on the residents of the constituency to vote for him so as he would end the dispute once and for all, adding, however, that the dispute had already started to be worked upon and could end even before he is elected president.
Indeed, Dr Magufuli pledge’s come only a day after the commissioner for Lands at the Lands ministry, Dr Moses Kusiluka, confirmed to have ordered the investors to return 1,870 parcels of land for re-distribution to villgers.
At a rally in Rujewa, Dr Magufuli assured the residents of the area that cover 21 villages, which was allegedly taken by the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) at Ruaha Conversation Area, will be returned to wananchi..
There was a dramatic exchange between Mr Magufuli and Chadema supporters at t Uyole where his convoy stopped.
Supporters of his party CCM and of Chadema lined up on both sided of the road, each chanting their slogans.
Chadema supporters cheered Dr Magufuli by flashing a victory sign while others circled their hands in the air as a sign of changes. The sign is mostly used by the Chadema supporters
However, Dr Magufuli-calm and composed-called upon them to choose him president so he could bring about those changes without basing on ideologies of the two parties, adding that he would transform the City of Mbeya and turn Chadema’s M4C slogan into, reading ‘Mbeya for Change’.
