Dar es Salaam. The Chairman of Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), Freeman Mbowe has broken his silence and announced his intention to take him to court due to the series of statements made against him by the former MP for Iringa Mjini through Chadema, Pastor Peter Msigwa.
Mbowe has announced this intention through a letter of notice of claims he wrote to Pastor Msigwa through a panel of five lawyers – John Mally, Jonathana Mndeme, Hekima Mwasipu, Simon Mrutu and Dickson Matata.
With the notice, he has said that if he does not implement the conditions he gave him within five days of receiving the letter, he will take him to court due to the statements that Mbowe claims are slander aimed at lowering the status he has built for many years locally, nationally and internationally.
The conditions in the notice are asking Reverend Msigwa to publish information on the front pages of two newspapers (one distributed nationally and the other distributed regionally), in the same manner and weight as those statements, which he claims are false, which he has been making against him in the media news, social networks and various places.
In the information he will publish, Mbowe asks Pastor Msigwa to confess and apologize to the public for deliberately publishing false news against him (mentioning Mbowe by his full name).
Reverend Msigwa is also required in the statements he will publish to confess and apologize, promise to Tanzanians to be truthful in all his words and not abuse his political position.
“In addition, we have instructions that we want you to pay our client a total of Sh5 billion,” reads the concluding part of the notice.
It is stated by Mbowe in the notice that the payment includes compensation for special, specific and punitive damages.
Lawyer Mwasipu has confirmed to Mwananchi that they have already given Pastor Msigwa the notice written on September 2, 2024 and he has signed to acknowledge receiving it.
Pastor Msigwa withdrew from Chadema membership on June 30, 2024 and moved to CCM.
Since then he has been making contradictory statements against Chadema and Mbowe in political platforms and in the media.
He has been explaining how things are not right within the party, among other things accusing Mbowe of having acted like Saccos, he has created an institution where Mbowe transfers the party's funds and that he does not want someone else to run for the chairmanship of the party.
What Pastor Msigwa said
Speaking about the notice of Mbowe's lawyers addressed to him, Reverend Msigwa has acknowledged receiving the notice and signing it.
However, he has said he reminds Mbowe that “political problems are solved politically.”
He has said that Mbowe has been at the forefront of speaking to the CCM Government and President Samia Suluhu Hassan but he was touched when he asked him to talk about several allegations within his party.
“I asked questions and said Chadema Digital is Chadema's?” Shouldn't he just answer and say that it belongs to Chadema, it was registered in a certain year… I asked, you drive 10 cars, your partner has one car, shouldn't he come out in public and answer?” has said.
He has insisted that trying to take him to court is trying to silence him and intimidate him, something he cannot be afraid of because he has many things
“Worse, the things about fields and tractors, why haven't they put it in the demand notice? What gives me courage is that he is trying to scare people into not talking about him when he is talking about the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania,” said Msigwa.
However, he has insisted that he is ready to face the Chadema leader and therefore asked him to meet in court.
