Isles CCM cadres pledge loyalty

CCM flag bearer, Dr John Maguful

CHAMA Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) cadres here who claim to have supported Mr Edward Lowassa's presidential bid last month, have affirmed their loyalty to the ruling party and its flag bearer, Dr John Magufuli, during the general election in October.

The cadres maintained this position during a press conference yesterday that they will not be joining the former prime minister who has since crossed over to Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), where he will vie for the presidency during the October 25 general election.

“It is true that we loved him and campaigned for him extensively in Zanzibar during the nomination process, but since CCM has already picked its flag bearer for the general election, we support the party move," said Mr Borafia Silima Suleiman, CCM chairman for Urban Region.

The cadres' statement was apparently in response to speculations that some CCM members were still behind Mr Lowassa and were about to join him in Chadema.

“One of the serious mistakes Mr Lowassa made was to brag openly that nobody, not even the party's committees, was above him and hence nobody would dare cancel his name to stop him from running for president,” noted Mr Suleiman.
The former premier defected to the main opposition party this week, claiming that CCM unfairly disqualified him from seeking the presidency. “Mr Lowassa’s claims against the CCM Central Committee (CC) are false and misleading.

CCM has its procedures in choosing the preferred candidate. The procedure has remained unchanged since 2005 and Mr Lowassa had never opposed it.

"But now he is against the formula just because he has not been picked,” Mr Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, a former Isles chief minister, said at the meeting.

“The few people who cannot afford to miss Mr Lowassa as an individual will definitely follow him, but for the majority, who are genuine party members committed to having good future leaders, will remain loyal to CCM,” added Mr Nahodha.

Other main speakers at the meeting were Mr Ramadhan Abdalla Shaaban and Mr Haji Omar Kheri, both senior ministers in Zanzibar and members of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC).

They said Mr Lowassa had let himself down by defecting just because he was not endorsed by the party. Mr Shaaban maintained that Mr Lowassa’s defection had not affected CCM’s chances of winning the coming general election and that the people, mainly party members should remain united and ignore speculations.

/Daily News