Chadema strips 19 rebel MPs of party membership

The 19 Chadema cadres wall out of the Mlimani City Hall on Wednesday night after they were stripped of party membership by the governing council

By The Citizen Reporter

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Dar es Salaam. Chadema’s governing council on Wednesday night voted unanimously to...

expel the 19 special seats Members of Parliament who were allegedly sworn in without the blessing of the party.

The party General Secretary John Mnyika will now write to inform the Speaker of National Parliament regarding the status of the MPs.

Commenting on their expulsion, Former Kawe MP Halima Mdee said the voting process lacked clouded with intrigues and lacked transparency.

On November 27, 2020, the party announced a decision to strip its 19 cadres of their memberships in the party when they were sworn-in in Dodoma Parliament to hold Special Seats positions without the authorisation of the party.

To date it is not clear where parliament got the list and why it maintained the 19 MPs in the national assembly for almost 18 months against the wish of their party.

Chadema had for long held the stand that it neither proposed nor endorsed the names of the 19 for special seats in the House, stressing it was to the party’s surprise that their names came up in Parliament.

However, the 19 MPs were vehemently defended by the former House Speaker Job Ndugai who resigned earlier this year due to pressure following his remarks on public borrowing.

Lonely in Parliament: Aida Kenani the Nkasi MP (Chadema) cut a lonely figure today May 12, in parliament surrounded with empty seats after 19 rebel MPs were expelled by the party's governing council. PHOTO | MERCIFUL MUNUO

Chadema said on Monday that it had prepared five issues on its agenda for the General Assembly meeting that is slated for tomorrow.

“All these MPs have already received their invitation letters and have received them. They will have to come to the meeting to hear the decision of the General Assembly following their appeal,” said the Chadema director of protocol and communications, Mr John Mrema.

Other items on the agenda will include discussions on the party’s five-year strategic plan which will see the opposition party through the 2025 general election; the 2024 local government elections; a new constitution and an independent electoral commission.

The other item, according to Mr Mrema, will be to release the timetable and procedures to be followed during the party’s forthcoming internal elections.