Opposition defectors find the going tough in CCM primaries

Dar es Salaam. Politicians who defected to CCM from opposition in the last four years have found the going tough in the ruling party’s primaries.

 Most of them had an easy ride after defecting when CCM nominated them as candidates in parliamentary by-elections, which they controversially won to retain their seats.

However, it was a totally different ball game in CCM’s parliamentary preferential votes held on Monday and yesterday, which saw almost all defectors being shunted aside after performing abysmally.

Results that were in by 7pm yesterday showed that only three former MPs who had defected to CCM from the Opposition won preferential votes in their respective constituencies. 

They are Dr Godwin Mollel (Siha), Mr Joseph Mkundi (Ukerewe) and Mr Mwita Waitara (Tarime Rural). Others  including Mr David Silinde (Momba), Mr Maulid Mtulia (Kinondoni), Mr Abdallah Mtolea (Temeke), Mr Joshua Nassary (Arumeru East),  Mr William Qambalo (Karatu), Mr Peter Lijualikali (Kilombero), Mr Onesmo ole Nangole (Longido), Mr James ole Millya (Simanjiro) and Mr Julius Kalanga (Monduli) failed to make the cut.

Most of them were opposition firebrands, but they turned out to be also rans in the CCM primaries.

Former mayor

 Former Arusha mayor Kalist Lazaro, who ditched Chadema for CCM earlier in the year, bagged only two votes in the Arusha Urban preferential vote.

Mr Mrisho Gambo polled 333 votes to win the ballot barely a month after he was unceremoniously sacked by President John Magufuli as Arusha regional commissioner.  Dr Philemon Mollel was a distant second with 68 votes.

 Another casualty

 In Kigoma South, Mr David Kafulila, who quit Chadema shortly before he was appointed Songwe regional administrative secretary, was another casualty.

He was placed fourth after receiving 64 votes behind Ms Husna Mwilima (273), Mr Nashon Bidyanguze (118) and Mr January Kizito (118).

In Momba, Mr Silinde, who announced that he was joining CCM from Chadema during the final days of the 11th Parliament, failed to convince CCM members that he was the right person to represent the constituency in the next parliament after garnering 118 votes against Mr Aden Mwakyonde’s 250 votes.

Mr Daniel Sichalwe was third with 20 votes, Mr Patrobas Katambi, who formerly chaired Chadema’s youth wing nationally, but later decamped to the ruling party and was appointed Dodoma district commissioner, failed miserably in his bid to be CCM’s candidate in Shinyanga Urban.

 He polled 12 votes behind Mr Stephen Masele (152), Mr Jonathan Ifunda (65) and Mr Gasper Kileo (51). Former Kinondoni MP Maulid Mtulia quit CUF for CCM in December 2017, and the ruling party swiftly nominated him as its candidate in the subsequent by-election, whose run-up was marred by violence.

Mr Mtulia easily won the February 2018 by-election, which was boycotted by the Opposition, but could not repeat his exploits in Monday’s preferential vote in the con- stituency. Mr Mtulia could only poll a measly 11 votes in the ballot won by Mr Tarimba Abbas, who garnered 171 votes.   Other aspirants were Mr Idd Azzan (77) and Mr George Manyama (23).

In Temeke, the going was also tough for Mr Abdallah Mtolea, who represented the area in the past parliament.

Mr Mtolea was elected through CUF in 2015, but decamped to CCM in 2018, and easily won the subsequent by-election, but could only manage 22 votes in Monday’s primary in the constituency.

 Mr Abbas Mtemvu, who was unseated by Mr Mtolea in 2015, polled 203 votes ahead of Ms Dorothy Kilave and Mr Makonde Raphael, who garnered  182 and 40 votes, respectively.

 Conspiracy claim

In 2018, Mr Joshua Nassary, formerly of Chadema, was accused of conspiring to hand the Arumeru East seat over to CCM after deliberately miss- ing three consecutive parlia- mentary sittings without the speaker’s permission.

He vehemently denied the accusation, but joined CCM a few weeks ago after keeping a low profile. However, his attempt to reclaim the seat on the ruling partly’s ticket came to a shud- dering end after polling a pal- try 23 votes on Monday.

 The winner was Dr John Pallangyo, who polled 536 votes. Former Kilombero MP Peter Lijualikali sobbed hysterically in Parliament’s debating chamber during this year’s budget sitting, and begged

CCM to “rescue” him from what he said was “greed and victimisation” in Chadema. Indeed, CCM welcomed him with open arms, but Monday was judgement day for the youthful politician.

 He could only finish tenth in the vote won by Mr Abubakar Asenga, who garnered 368 votes. Former Karatu MP William Qambalo, who also decamped to CCM,  polled only 41 votes, far behind the winner, Mr Daniel Awake, who bagged 247 votes, while Mr Patrick Chere was second with 102 votes.

Former Longido MP, Ones- mo ole Nangole, who initially served as a lawmaker in the 11th Parliament through Chadema and later CCM,  was yet another casualty.

He managed only ten votes in contrast to Dr Steven Kiruswa, who bagged 529 votes to convincingly win the ballot.

 Mr Lomayani Logolie and Mr Sabore Moloimet were second and third, respectively. Dr Vincent Mashinji, who held the powerful secretary- general’s post in Chadema before crossing over to CCM in February, could only manage two votes in the Kawe primary in Dar es Salaam.

 Mr Furaha Jacob won the ballot followed by Ms Angela Kizigha and con- troversial preacher Josephat Gwajima.

In Simanjiro, another defector, Mr James ole Millya, polled only 15 votes, and his bid for another stint in Parliament looked to be in tatters.

 Mr Christopher ole Sendeka, who Mr ole Millya unseated in 2015, easily won the ballot.

Game over?

In Babati Urban, Ms Pauline Gekul, who held the seat through Chadema and later CCM in the last parliament, looks to be out of the race after  polling 61 votes to finish behind Ms Esther Mahawe and Mr Werema Chambiri, who polled 91 and 77 votes, respectively.

 Analysts said it was almost impossible for former opposition politicians to secure nomination in the ruling party’s primaries.

“It was obvious from the outset that those who abandoned their parties and defected to CCM could not secure nomination as candidates due to the fact that they had no solid networks within the party,” said Prof Bakari Mohamed, a political analyst from the University of Dar es Salaam.

He warned that if CCM’s decision-making organs intervened in the nomination process and picked those flopped in the primaries, the party might be plunged into a serious crisis.

“These results will definitely discourage other opposition leaders who were planning to defect to CCM,” Prof Mohamed said. Prof Gaudence Mpangala, a political analyst from the Ruaha Catholic University, said  a good politician is the one who sticks to his political affiliation and principles instead hopping from one party.

He added that he was not surprised that most of those who had defected from the Opposi- tion to CCM failed miserably in the ruling party’s primaries.

 “If you are in the Opposition side you should stick to what you believe in, and will eventually attain your political goals. Defecting from one party to another ruins one’s political reputation and trust,” Prof Mpangala said.