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More Chadema cadres to face the axe

Nkasi North lawmaker Aida Kenan seen in parliament on May 12, 2022 surrounded with empty seats after 19 rebel MPs were expelled by the Chadema governing council. PHOTO | MERCIFUL MUNUO

What you need to know:

  • Chadema is currently in a legal battle with 19 legislators whom it kicked out of the party recently over misconduct

Dar es Salaam. The main opposition party, Chadema, maintained yesterday that since it did not recognise the outcomes of the 2020 General Election, it would ultimately bring to book its members who were reportedly elected during the polls.

Chadema is currently in a legal battle with 19 legislators who it kicked out of the party over misconduct.

But in an effort to defend their legislatives seats, the 19 special seats lawmakers filed a case in High Court which has since ruled that they continue serving as Members of Parliament pending the verdict of their objection regarding their expulsion from the party.

The 19 were accused of presenting themselves to the then Speaker of Parliament, Mr Job Ndugai, so they could be sworn-in as MPs without their party’s approval and due process.

But in what portrays that Chadema was out for a serious cleansing, party’s deputy general secretary (Mainland) Benson Kigaila said yesterday that upon completing the ongoing legal battle with its sacked members, who have stuck to their guns in defending their legislative seats, the party would go for others who have also betrayed its official position.

The point is focus is Nkasi North lawmaker Aida Kenan along with 85 councillors who took up the roles despite the party’s official position being that the 2020 elections were deliberately tilted against their candidates at all levels and therefore, it [Chadema] neither recognises its outcomes nor the benefits that came with it, including subsidies.

“There are two cases here: One is for the 19 individuals, who falsified that they had been endorsed by the Central Committee to present themselves to the Speaker of Parliament for swearing in as MPs. The second one is that of Ms Aida and the councillors who seem to have agreed with the results of the general election which is also contrary to the party’s position,” said Mr Kigaila.

He added: “We decided to deal with one case after the other. We said when the time comes, we will interrogate the councillors and Ms Kenan. That is why we are dealing with the case of these 19 MPs first, let’s finish with these so that we can look at our next move with the rest,” said Mr Kigaila.

Ms Kenan, who is the only Chadema MP and among the 26 women who won in 264 constituencies, defeated three of her constituents, including Ally Kessy of CCM.

Ms Kenan told Mwananchi yesterday that she would speak when the time was ripe.

“At the moment, I have nothing to say, but when I need cooperation from the party, I get it,” she said.

At a press conference yesterday, Mr Kigaila recounted the whole story involving how the 19 MPs were sworn in; tactics of forging party documents; steps to convene an executive committee meeting and how they were finally shown the exit door from the party on November 27, 2020.

They were also informed of their right to appeal to the General Assembly which they did but the outcomes were not in their favour and how the new Speaker of Parliament, Dr Tulia Ackson, was informed.

In addition, Mr Kigaila questioned the wisdom behind a decision by Dr Ackson to not remove the MPs in Parliament pending the hearing of the case in court.

In her statement, Dr Ackson said she received information from the MPs that they had already filed a case at the High Court, challenging the legality of their removal from the party.

However, Mr Kigaila questioned the legal situation, saying: “The Speaker makes the decision at around 10am, then at 2pm the court makes a ruling….We ask ourselves the law that guided her in all this scenario,” he said.

The director of communications and protocol at Chadema, Mr John Mrema, responded to three arguments against what he said were being advanced by the 19 MPs in support of their appeal.

The issues included allegations of not being given the right to defend themselves; the use of open ballots instead of secret ones when the party voted to expel them as well as the fact that it was the same Chadema members who formed the central committee that also turned up as the general assembly members.

“The party has documented evidence including videos recorded during the central committee meetings that involved them and later rejected because they claimed to be out of fear for their safety. The party also investigated and found that they had forged documents which is an illegal offense,” said Mr Mrema

Regarding the voting system, Mr Kigaila said if the party had used the secret ballot system it would raise more questions about the sanctions imposed on them.