Dar es Salaam. ACT-Wazalendo on Wednesday nominated Luhaga Mpina as its presidential candidate and Fatma Abdulhabib Ferej as his running mate for the October 28, 2025, general election, just two days after the left-leaning opposition party welcomed the former Kisesa lawmaker following his defection from the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM).

Mpina, one of the few high-ranking CCM politicians to openly criticise the Samia Suluhu Hassan administration, defected to ACT-Wazalendo shortly after being excluded from the list of candidates for Kisesa’s parliamentary primaries. His running mate, Fatma Ferej, is an experienced member of the ACT Wazalendo who once served as a Minister in the Zanzibar government and is currently serving as the secretary of the ACT Wazalendo women’s wing.

Mpina and ACT-Wazalendo member Aaron Kalikawe contested at Wednesday’s party congress in Dar es Salaam, where Mpina won by a landslide with 559 votes (92.3 per cent) out of 610 total votes cast.

In Zanzibar, ACT Wazalendo’s national chairperson Othman Masoud Othman secured the party’s presidential nomination for the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, garnering 606 votes in favor (99.5 per cent) out of 609 valid votes cast.

“The candidate has been found, and as I promised, now begins the journey to uproot and completely remove Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) from power,” Mr Mpina said shortly after securing the nomination.

READ MORE: CCM Dissident Luhaga Mpina Joins ACT-Wazalendo After Exclusion in Party Primaries 

“Sometimes they forget themselves, they think they can win forever,” he added. “In 2025, they will be officially ousted from power and this party [ACT-Wazalendo] will take the reins of leadership.”

Mpina previously served as the Member of Parliament for Kisesa Constituency (CCM). First elected in 2005, he was re-elected in 2010, 2015, and 2020.  

He has held several political positions, including Deputy Minister in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment, 2015–2017) and Minister of Livestock and Fisheries (2017–2020) under President John Magufuli’s administration.  

Mpina has also been a member of various parliamentary committees, including Finance and Economy, Industries and Trade, and the Budget Committee.  

A financial expert, Mpina holds advanced degrees in the field—one from the University of Dar es Salaam and another from the University of Strathclyde in the UK.  

READ MORE: President Samia Lashes Out at Luhaga Mpina in Simiyu: Here is What It Means for Lake Zone Politics 

In his former party, CCM, Mpina served as Chairman of the UVCCM Youth Wing in Meatu for five years (2003–2008).  Known for his bold criticism, Mpina often spoke out in and outside Parliament, challenging government decisions with a tone more typical of opposition figures.  

In 2024, Mpina sued Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe, Finance Minister Mwigulu Nchemba, the Sugar Board, and the Attorney General over the issuance of sugar import permits to companies without local sugar factories or trade operations.

Mpina’s endorsement marks a second election in a row where ACT Wazalendo uses CCM defectors to be the leading figure of its presidential ticket. In 2020, ACT Wazalendo appointed CCM expelled member, Bernard Membe, as ACT-Wazalendo’s Chief Advisor, and later on, ACT-Wazalendo’s general congress endorsed Membe for the presidency of Tanzania.

The Membe campaign went on to be marred with controversy, as he was not seen campaigning for weeks, prompting the party leader to have a change of heart and endorse CHADEMA aspirant, Tundu Lissu. Some party insiders will later on analyze that part of this change was attributed to unmet expectations, where the party was expecting Membe to come into the campaign with resources and network, something which never materialized.

The Chanzo understand, Mpina’s defection to ACT Wazalendo was a last-minute party maneuvering and negotiation. While Mpina is not considered to have resources, he has earned a wide following among citizens, especially in the largest voting block in the country, the lake zone. To ACT Wazalendo, Mpina is expected to be one of the actors in an attempt to renew the interest of citizens in the party, especially as its LindaKura (Protect Votes) campaign has not managed to attract large attention among Tanzanians.