ACT-Wazalendo in talks with CCM casualties, Shaibu says

Dar es Salaam. Opposition party ACT-Wazalendo is in talks with some members of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party (CCM) who were unceremoniously dropped in the nomination primaries for parliamentary seats, despite having received support in the early stages of primary nomination.

This comes a day after CCM officially announced names of parliamentary candidates who will face opposition candidates in the October 28 polls.

In the process, a large number of members with big names have been omitted by the party’s CCM Central Committee which began their sessions on August 17-20, this year.

Speaking to The Citizen, ACT-Wazalendo party Secretary-General Ado Shaibu confirmed the talks between his party and some members of the ruling party who were left to hang dry. “It is true that there are CCM members we have talked to but we cannot, at the moment, divulge their names as a precautionary measure to keep the process intact,” he said.

Furthermore, ACT-Wazalendo presidential candidate Mr Benard Membe, via his official Twitter account, hinted an invitation to CCM members who were dropped by their party, welcoming them to join the opposition. He said; “The nomination by CCM today made me very happy! Congratulations to all who were lucky enough to be nominated, but most of all, I apologize to all those who were not selected for reason of being close to me. That is a blessing not a tragedy. Come and join ACT-Wazalendo quickly so that the journey continues.”

The former Foreign Affairs minister Membe joined ACT-Wazalendo earlier last month after his former party CCM expelled him from membership for what was claimed to have been a violation of the party’s rules occasioned by the ex-minister.

Contradicting the assertion, Membe said he was expelled because he revealed his intentions of challenging the incumbent President John Magufuli in intra-party nominations for presidency in the coming General Election.

His expulsion from CCM saw him finding a new political abode at ACT-Wazalendo in July 2020. He was consequently nominated by his new party members to fly ACT’s presidential flag in the October 28 General Election.

The willingness by the opposition to welcome former ruling party leaders to join them is what has prompted the recent exodus.

Mr Shaibu, however, did not want to give more details on how many members have started talks with ACT and which constituencies they think they will give them so that they can fly the party’s flag in the coming elections.

He did, nonetheless, provide a bit of clarity on the circulating information on social media claiming that former Kigoma North Member of Parliament Mr Peter Serukamba had resigned from CCM and joined ACT-Wazalendo, and that he had already taken the nomination form.

“I want our members to ignore such information. If it were true the headquarters would be the first to know. That constituency already has our candidate and we cannot change it,” insisted Mr Shaibu.

He also seconded Membe’s invitation to CCM members whose names were cut from their party’s nominations to join ACT-Wazalendo and further their dreams of becoming Members of Parliament.