Dar disqualifies Yusuf Manji

businessman Mr Yusuf Manji.

CHAMA Cha Mapinduzi in Dar es Salaam region announced names of candidates for councillorship in its ten constituencies.

The ruling party also disqualified two candidates -- businessman Mr Yusuf Manji and Mr Abuu Juma who was a long-serving councillor for Jangwani ward.

The secretary of the Publicity and Ideology department, Mr Juma Simba, disclosed names of candidates for all 91 wards while preferential polls would be repeated in Mianzini ward in Mbagala constituency because of election irregularities.

“According to the CCM constitution, the Regional Executive Committee has the mandate to endorse the candidates for councillorship elections.

We’ve have done so after going through the appeals and thus approved names for the 91 wards,” he said. He said Mr Manji had won preferential polls in Mbagala ward, but his name was removed for failure to meet certain criteria, which he could not mention.
Instead the candidature went to second winner Mr Aboubakar Othman. In Jangwani ward, Mr Jumaa’s name was removed from the list of contestants “taking into account people’s request that although he had the area for quite long, there was no tangible development recorded.

Thus the candidature went to his close opponent Mr Abdul Faraji. Speaking to Manji’s supporters who jammed the Lumumba CCM office complaining against the party’s decision, Dar es Salaam Regional CCM Chairman Mr Ramadhani Madabida told them the contestants lacked the required qualities.

“Manji did not show up to pick or return nomination forms. Worse still, we had set a system where all candidates were using a single transport to trade their policies to the electorate, but he did not appear,” Mr Madabida said.

“Even during the Ethics Committee meeting to screen aspirants, Mr Manji did not appear and when contacted he said he was sleeping.”

He said Mr Manji’s behaviour raised a lot of complaints from fellow aspirants who said that “with money everything is possible.”

“That’s not the best practice for leaders seeking to serve the people. It’s unacceptable. This is why he was disqualified,” Mr Madababida said. He refused to budge to threats from Mr Manji’s supporters who said they would join other political parties.



“They can quit if they wish, and I’ll receive our membership cards,” he said, adding “the move has support from some CCM regional leaders who want to pressurize the endorsement of Mr Manji’s candidature.”