Dr Slaa said the decision to convince Mr Zitto to withdraw his name was a consensus one and largely meant to rescue the party from divisions taking into account its interest."Due to strong competition between Mr Zitto and Mr Mbowe, the party elders, working for the interest of Chadema, decided to convince Mr Zitto to withdraw his name from the list to keep the party strong," said Dr Slaa.He however denied the existence of camps insisting that the party was still strong and no one was larger than the party in Chadema.
The first party chairman and the founder of Chadema Mr Edwin Mtei who led a group of elders to persuade Mr Zitto to withdraw his name said it was wisdom which was used to persuade Mr Zitto to pull out of the race and leave Mr Mbowe to contest unopposed."We saw him (Zitto) as still having more time and energy to save the party for long time to come taking into consideration his age, he still has the 2015, 2020 to take the country's presidency in future," said Mr Mtei.Mr Mtei vowed to use his experience in politics, strength and strategies used by Mr Zitto to build up a strong team, which will beat rival parties in the November civic elections and next year's general election.“This is a message to our friends CCM that we will come out of election stronger than before, he party is stronger and no any divisions, our enemies wants to see us splitting, this will not happen,” narrated Mr Mbowe amid campaigns aiming at retaining his seat last week.
Mr Mbowe had earlier denied reports that there were growing differences between him and Mr Zitto, who had picked the nomination forms to challenge him before he withdrew few days after. Mr Mbowe said “We have no enemies in the party, we all have a common goal and that is wrestle CCM from power, people mare misguiding us, we are united and our unity is much stronger than they think.”
Corruption allegations.
Chadema elections was engulfed by underground rumors that some leaders used money to bribe voters, they were head saying other parties had injected money in the party to make sure that division is created to destroy Chadema.Dr Slaa was forced to intervene the growing rumors threatening to call in the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to investigate the allegations.He however said "I have received reports that money was being dished out openly. I will call in the PCCB and if they net the culprits, it will be upon them and not the party."
He made the call a day after the election in the youth wing was suspended after complaints of dissatisfaction had been addressed to Dr Slaa with accusations that there was foul play in the election and some people were circulation money to bribe voters.
Accusations grew more even after Zitto’s mother, Ms Shida Salum, who is also the party's national chairperson for people with disability, accused party headquarters of victimizing her son.She was showing her disappointed that instead of taking action against the real perpetrators of the election chaos, some leaders were accusing her son of sabotaging the party. "I know my son Zitto is not corrupt, and he cannot be bought by anybody. The party headquarters must be cleaned up. I have spoken to Dr Slaa on what is happening there. Please, clean up your office."
Nomination forms
Reports that Mr Kabwe was seeking to unseat Mr Mbowe first surfaced, when the youthful politician was on a visit to Germany last week.He later confirmed that he would be running for the chairman's position in the party's upcoming national elections, revealing that he had completed his candidacy forms at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar, before flying to Europe.Mr Kabwe, who is an economist by training, said then that there was an urgent need to forge unity within the party ahead of next year's General Election.The 2010 elections, he added, would be a watershed moment that would lead to a major political decision.
"My vision and reading of the situation is that we might this time be forced as a country to have a Prime Minister from outside the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi. We (Chadema) cannot afford to approach that possible scenario divided," he noted.It was now time, he added, for new blood to take over the reins of leadership from where Mr Mbowe and his colleagues had reached "because there is a need to strengthen the party from within more than ever before."
However, Mr Mbowe welcomed Mr Kabwe's challenge as healthy competition within the opposition party.He said Mr Kabwe was free to run against him for the chairmanship, saying it was not only an indication of political maturity, but also of how democratic Chadema was.However, Mr Kabwe's later withdrew from the race, leaving Mr Mbowe as the sole candidate for the top post.
Mr Mbowe took over the party leadership from Mr Bob Makani. This was after the latter was elected the Hai MP in 2000. Mr Makani won 64.5 per cent of the vote, which was the highest in the constituencies taken by opposition candidates.Mr Mbowe took over the party leadership from Mr Bob Makani. This was after he was elected Hai MP in 2000. He won 64.5 per cent of the vote, which was the highest in the constituencies taken by opposition candidates.In 2005, Mr Mbowe was nominated as Chadema's presidential candidate. It was the first time since the party was founded that it had nominated a presidential candidate.
He came third out of 10 candidates in the December 14, 2005 presidential election, winning 5.88 per cent of the vote.Mr Mbowe is al so a businessman, owning Club Bilicanas, one of the best nightclubs in Dar es Salaam. He is also the owner of Freemedia Limited, the publisher of Tanzania Daima, a national daily newspaper, as well as Protea Hotel Machame, in his native town of Machame, in Kilimanjaro Region.
He is married to Dr Lillian Mtei, daughter of Mr Edwin Mtei, the first Governor of the Bank of Tanzania and the Chadema founding chairman.Mr Kabwe's political star has been rising since 2005, when he became the youngest elected MP, beating CCM's candidate in the Kigoma North constituency.
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