More than 70 aspirants in the race to replace Ndugai

Dar es Salaam. More than 70 aspirants have collected nominations form through the ruling party Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in a bid to fill the vacant seat of the Speaker of Tanzania's National Assembly.
Several contenders are being touted as frontrunners to succeed Kongwa Member of Parliament (MP), Job Ndugai who resigned on January 6 amid piling pressure from the ruling party loyalists following his remarks over the nation’s public borrowing.
The process of collecting nomination forms was closed on Saturday January 15, with aspirants paying Sh1 million for each form and as result CCM has raised Sh70 million.
One application form was, however, not returned according to the party’s Assistant Secretary General (Organization Department), Solomon Itunda.
“Of all 71 contenders, 60 are men and 11 are women,” said Itunda.

ALSO READ: Who will succeed Ndugai as Speaker?
Deputy Assembly Speaker, Dr Tulia Ackson, Members of Parliament, former cabinet ministers and university students made the hard decision to seek the party’s endorsement.
Dr Tulia Ackson faces tough competition for the party's nomination from former Pan-African Parliament vice-president Stephen Masele, former attorney general Andrew Chenge, and former CCM Women's Wing chairperson Sophia Simba, in the February 1 poll.
Ms Ackson, who is the MP for Mbeya Urban, is the favourite to succeed Mr Ndugai, not least because her promotion would also serve well the gender parity push by President Samia.
Observers see Ms Simba as a safer choice. She fits the gender agenda and has a longer political working relationship with President Samia, especially at the level of CCM women’s wing.
Others who picked forms at the ruling party’s Dodoma and Lumumba offices for the past five days included Esther Makazi, Mohamed Mmanga, Ndurumah Majembe, Godwin Maimu and Johnson Japheth.

ALSO READ: Tulia Ackson joins the race to replace Ndugai

The list also includes: Ezekiel Maige, Emmanuel Mng’arwe, Azizi Mussa, Onyango Otieno, Dotto Mgasa, Prof Edson Lubua, Fikiria Said, Dr Itikija Mwanga, Peter Njemu, Mariam Koja, Joseph Anania, Samuel Xsaday, Arnold Peter and Joseph Sabuka.
Other aspirants include Mussa Azzan Zungu, Goodluck Ole Medeye, Joseph Msukuma, Merkion Ndosi, Godwin Kunambi, Ambwene Kajula, Rahim Rashid Ismail, Alex Mwita, Semistocles Rwegasira pamoja and Gragrey Nyalohala.
The list also includes Simon Ngatunga, Tumsifu Mwasamale, Zahoro Hanuna, George Nangale, Barua Mwakilanga and Patrick Lubano.
Speaking after picking the forms, one of the contenders Ms Makazi said she wanted to follow in the footsteps of President Samia Suluhu Hassan in terms of women leaders.
With CCM holding the tyranny of numbers in the predominantly single-party Parliament, politicians believe that anyone who is endorsed by the party to vie for the post is the likely winner of the post.
Analysts believe that though some aspirants could be seriously seeking the post, others must collect the form in order to send a message to their colleagues that they still exist and would also want to be considered in other party and government positions.
Announcing the process of getting a new speaker on January, CCM secretary of Ideology and Publicity Shaka Hamidu Shaka, said the final pick for Speaker will be made by the party's top decision-making organ, the central committee, which President Samia chairs, on January 19.
Mr Shaka said the final elimination process will be completed on January 31.
“From January 21 to 30 CCM MPs will vote for a candidate who will stands in parliament to be elected as next Speaker of the National Assembly,” he said.
The election of the Speaker will be the first order of business when Parliament resumes its next session in Dodoma in February.