Members of the central committee of Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) were yesterday racking their heads for a position on the membership of two former central committee members Dr. Kitila Mkumbo and Arusha ex-regional chairman Samson Mwigamba.
The two senior cadres of the party left party premises on Friday before the central committee could call them in to hear their defence in charges of sabotaging the party raised against them.
After they failed to hear the two cadres, the central committee set yesterday as a substitute, where upon University of Dar es Salaam senior lecturer Dr Mkumbo turned up late in the evening.
Party officials said Mwigamba had not shown up by late evening, which would place the committee in a difficulty as to whether to give a ruling on the charges raised against them, or in relation to being called upon to explain themselves and the hesitation they showed.
Before Dr Mkumbo showed up late in the evening, political observers were in the impression that the central committee would have little option but to expel the two from membership.
The fact that Dr Mkumbo turned up may lighten the case against him, but he has continued affirming a principled position on the contended issues, insisting that internal party democracy was in peril in relation to party polls expected mid this year.
Mwigamba was from the start likely to have greater problems facing the party central committee, as it took the side of those who publicly beat him up in Arusha as he chaired a party meeting, something that was indicative of a disorderly situation and confidence of his assailants in the support they have in party leadership.
At the same time the move by the third and most important axed official, Kigoma North MP Zitto Kabwe to place a court injunction on his being discussed by the central committee indicated that the balance of things was that they had reached a point of no return.
Observers were convinced that if a compromise had meanwhile been brokered out to maintain unity in party ranks, the MP would not have taken the rather abnormal step of going to court on a party meeting’s agenda.
There was also a show of force by supporters of the MP, which indicated to the meeting central committee that removing the trio from the party was not going to be an easy ride with the public, and a breadth of youthful supporters of the party in particular.
The party director of information and Ubungo MP, John Mnyika had earlier told a press conference that the two ex-central committee members had been given until late yesterday where if they will not appear to put up their defense the committee would make its decisions accordingly.
“When the central committee reached the agenda on the two cadres we discovered that they had already left without giving information to party officials, despite knowing that the central committee was expecting their presence,” he said.
Section 6.5.2b of the CHADEMA constitution would categorize their departure as a serious disciplinary matter which would itself warrant expulsion from party membership.
They similarly switched off their mobile phones from yesterday until Saturday morning but the party secretariat succeeded to communicate with them by using other means, the party director said, expressing the hope that they would turn up later for the meeting and putting up their defense.
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