Opposition party CHADEMA, Vice Chairperson Tundu Lissu, has announced that he has informed his party about his intention to run for the presidency of the United Republic of Tanzania through his party.
“Let me just say that I have indicated my intention as a presidential aspirant through my party officially,” Lissu explained in a special interview on August 16, 2024, with the Sauti ya Watanzania, an online activism network that organizes various conversations on Club House.
“When I say an official aspirant, I mean that I have already given notice to the Secretary General of my party that I intend to run for president next year, as our Constitution and regulations require,” Lissu added.
Lissu is announcing his intentions at a time when, on the side of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), members have already begun stirring up momentum for President Samia to run again by raising funds to obtain nomination forms and mobilizing support. President Samia announced back in September 2021 that she would run for a second term.
In 2020, Tundu Lissu was a presidential candidate through CHADEMA, competing against the late President John Magufuli. In that election, which many described as the most flawed election in Tanzania’s history, Lissu received 1,933,271 votes, while President Magufuli was declared the winner with 12,516,252 votes.
Lissu also said that he will also run in the internal elections to defend his position as Deputy Chairman.
“I have already given notice of my intention to run for president and my intention to run for my position as Deputy Chairman for a second time; how these two intentions of mine will be handled by the party’s meetings will be decided as they have been in all previous years,” Tundu Lissu further clarified.
Lissu’s announcement comes at the heel of various conversations that indicate that there might be some tension with the CHADEMA, tension that causes some sort of a rift between him and Chairperson of the party, Freeman Mbowe.
The rift was heightened during CHADEMA’s internal party election where Lissu said that there was a lot of corruption fueled by money coming from the ruling party.
Lissu has claimed that he has also been approached to receive corruption money, he said the meeting was facilitated by one of the CHADEMA’s top officials. CHADEMA’s chairperson has refuted any claims of rift or tension and cited that CHADEMA will never enter into division.
