Dar es Salaam. Retired Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda has expressed his displeasure with social media rumors that his name was mentioned as being the vice-chairman of the Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Mainland.
The position has been left vacant by Abdulrahman Kinana who requested to retire in September 2024.
The party has already named veteran cadre Stephen Wasira to compete for the position.
Speaking today on January 18, 2025 at the CCM General Meeting in Dodoma, Pinda said that recently there have been rumors of his name being mentioned as one of those who will inherit the position.
“I have to say because of these networks eeh! Sometimes it makes you sweat. You think maybe someone is whispering that you are the old man who is going to be the vice president, but where, but not,” he said.
Pinda, who led the delegation of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to observe the election in Botswana at the end of last year, said he was called by President Samia Suluhu Hassan and his colleagues.
“I was the first to be called and I went in there, I told him how things went well, at the end I was done and I kept listening to him so that he could say like this is what the networks are spreading, but it didn't happen that way.
“But that's the way it is, now you want him to tell you a secret and then go out and start ranting? No, so I left there, not so happy, but I said at least he gave me a message,” he said.
He said that after President Samia went back to check the networks, he found more whispers.
“If you go back to the internet, my mother, my mother, they saw that I didn't know who I had taken a picture with, they said aah but he was called there, I told them aah, you would have known!”
However, after Wasira was mentioned, Pinda said he was thankful that things were over.
Speaking of Wasira, Pinda has said that they have been tying each other in the nomination whispers, going back to 2008 after the late former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa resigned.
“And it's not that you are told to ask for a form, no, only the networks emerged with their own, Mizengo Pinda, Wasira, who is who, eh! Every time you meet an old man, he will tell you a secret, there is no one, so now it has happened today,” he said.
Pinda, who worked with Wasira, has described him as a hard worker with a long history of politics from Tanu to CCM.
“I don't doubt the ability of this old man at all, because I have been close to him in the party, even when we were in government we still worked together,” he said.
He has asked the members of the meeting to abandon the influence of newspapers and networks, but to join together to help the chairman and vice president of CCM.
Earlier, giving a resolution passed by the Central Committee of CCM, the Deputy Secretary General of the party (Zanzibar), Dr. Mohamed Said Dimwa, said that Wasira's character, behavior and qualities were what caused the Central Committee of the party to appoint him as the vice-chairman of CCM (mainland). .
“The Central Council of CCM, has reached that decision after being satisfied without doubt about the character, conduct, character and characteristics of that member for the entire period of life in CCM.
“Also, he fully considers the conditions of the members, qualifications and taboos of the leader as set out in articles 8, 17 and 18 of the CCM constitution, he has always been at the forefront of fighting to protect the interests of our party, unity and national unity.
“He is honest, humble, who loves his country, is obedient within CCM and a good citizen,” he said.
