President Samia Suluhu Hassan has named Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi, the CCM secretary-general, as her running mate for the 2025 general election scheduled for October. Nchimbi’s nomination surprised many, given his relatively recent return to active politics on January 15, 2024, when he was appointed CCM’s Secretary General.

This was announced during CCM’s National Congress on January 19, 2025, held at the Jakaya Kikwete Convention Centre. In her address, President Samia explained why her choice for running mate differs from the current Vice President, Dr. Philip Mpango.

“As you all know, Dr. Philip Mpango is the Vice President. In recent months, he came to see me asking to be relieved of his duties for various reasons, but none of them are work-related,” President Samia said.

She added: “He told me that his mother lived to be 88, and now he wants to surpass his mother and move forward a little. So, he said with all this work, he could hardly see himself getting there, so he asked to be relieved.”

“Last week, he handed me a letter, saying, ‘If you do not respond to me verbally, here is my letter.’ I did not respond to the letter either. When we discussed the matter with the Central Committee, we all agreed to give him a rest,” President Samia explained.

Search for running mate

President Samia disclosed that she began searching for a new running mate after Dr. Mpango confirmed he would not seek reappointment. In confirmation of the name, she sought advice from prominent CCM leaders, including former presidents Jakaya Kikwete and Amani Karume.

“After receiving the Vice President’s letter, we struggled to find someone suitable for the role. Today, as you saw, I went out with my three elders—Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein, Dr. Jakaya Kikwete, and Dr. Amani Karume. I consulted with them, and we reviewed the candidates I had in mind,” she said.

“We all agreed on one name, which I then took to the Central Committee for approval. That name is Ambassador Emmanuel Nchimbi.”

Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi is a seasoned CCM heavyweight. In 2015, he had a notable fallout with the party’s leadership alongside colleagues Adam Kimbisa and Sophia Simba after CCM excluded Edward Lowassa from its presidential nomination list, which led to the nomination of John Magufuli.

READ MORE: Who Is Emmanuel Nchimbi, CCM’s New Secretary-General, And What Does His Nomination Signify?

Following the fallout, Nchimbi was appointed as Ambassador to Brazil and later to Egypt by the new administration of President Magufuli, a move seen as an effort to distance him from domestic politics.

Sobriety in politics

Since returning to the political scene, Nchimbi has maintained a consistent stance on political sobriety and has condemned political violence, something which has continued to be tolerated inside the ruling party.

In April 2024, Nchimbi gained widespread attention when he responded to a controversial statement by a party youth leader, Falis Buruhani, who had threatened to “disappear critics.”

“If there is someone who thinks they have the freedom to stay online with their phone, spending the whole day insulting leaders, if we make them disappear, Police don’t try to look for them,” Buruhani who is Chairperson of CCM Youth wing in Kagera said this on April 16, 2024.

The next day, Nchimbi distanced CCM from Buruhani’s comments, stating: “Today, if a CCM youth, for example, stands up and says that if our opponents do this or that, we must disappear them, this is our youth, but he has said something foolish. We will oppose it, and we must see it as foolish. Because, in the end, this country belongs to all of us.”

Nchimbi’s response earned him widespread praise at the moment that it was seen as the attitude against political violence was falling daily within the ruling party.

Another notable moment came during the brutal murder of opposition politician Ali Kibao on September 6, 2024. Kibao was abducted, and his body was discovered the following day, disfigured with acid. On September 13, 2024, Nchimbi condemned the killing and dismissed propaganda suggesting opposition leaders were involved.

“Anyone who jeopardizes the safety of citizens, anyone involved in kidnapping or killing citizens, or any group that causes citizens to live in fear is clearly doing so to tarnish CCM’s image,” Nchimbi emphasized.

Nchimbi continued: “And that is why, in any way, if it is an individual or a group of people involved in kidnapping or killing people, they cannot have good intentions for CCM. Only a mad person would say CCM could harm itself because CCM is not a party of fools. It is a party of people who understand that everything you do has consequences.”

Strategic choice

Nchimbi’s consistent stance against political violence has injected a sense of sobriety into Tanzanian politics, especially within CCM. His reputation as a principled leader has grown, with many viewing him as a trustworthy figure in an environment where political violence has increasingly undermined public confidence.

For example, during the local government elections marred by opposition candidate disqualifications, Nchimbi called for an understanding of minor flaws that could lead to disqualifications. Although his plea went unheeded by the Minister responsible who insisted that election is about law and not about showing compassion, it reinforced his image as a fair and compassionate leader.

In 2015, Nchimbi was aligned with the Edward Lowassa faction, which is now considered defunct. Currently, CCM is perceived to have two prominent factions: one associated with former President Jakaya Kikwete and the other linked to the late John Magufuli. However, Nchimbi is not firmly aligned with either faction, giving him a unique and unifying position within the party. Despite this, he is highly respected and well-connected in CCM.

His selection as President Samia’s running mate offers hope for a departure from the culture of political violence, signaling a potential shift toward more inclusive and peaceful politics in Tanzania. However, with nine months remaining before the general election, the political landscape could still evolve significantly, especially given the incidents witnessed over the past year.

There is also an element of the party restoring its influence in the political process, especially with the growing influence of the security apparatus over politics. Nchimbi being in a position where he now seat in the party but also highly likely to become number 2 in the country if CCM offers him certain influence which the party was losing over security apparatus.

Both Nchimbi and Dr. Mpango will continue to serve in their respective roles within the party and government until the election.