THE ruling party CCM Secretary General, Ambassador Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi's visit in Lindi Region on Tuesday saw at least 250 members of opposition parties including some from ACT Wazalendo, CUF and CHADEMA defecting.
They surrendered their former political parties' membership cards to the Secretary General during the CCM's rally in Mpilipili ground in Lindi Town.
Speaking at the rally, Dr Nchimbi attributed the significant conversion of the opposition parties' members to the implementation of the CCM Election Manifesto 2020/2025, which resulted into improvement of social services including health and education in the region.
"We are so much impressed with new members from the opposition parties who decided to join CCM especially after saying they have been convinced by the government's accountability and effective service provision under President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan," he said.
Adding "I am so happy that you have joined CCM, I assure you of a sincere cooperation to get all the necessities which any CCM member deserves to have such as the party's membership cards,".
Highlighting the execution of the CCM's manifesto in three years of the sixth phase government, Amb Nchimbi said the region registered construction of four new schools, 18 health centres and 41 dispensaries in efforts of bringing the health services closer to all citizens.
He said the aforementioned health facilities also have been supplied with medicine and modern equipment in ensuring citizens acquire quality medical care.
More significantly, he said great transformation has been attained in the education sector by putting in place favourable learning infrastructures, which together elevated academic performance especially for Form Two and Form Six students in the region.
Overall, Dr Nchimbi expressed his satisfaction with the Lindi's implementation of the manifesto, saying the region in three years has recorded remarkable transformation.
He lauded the party's leaders in the region, including Ten Cell and Ward leaders for continuing to make CCM more active in the region.
In term of addressing citizens problems, Dr Nchimbi said at the rally, about 40 problems were submitted such as pertaining to compensation of citizens, who paved away for the execution of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LGP) project in the region to which, he directed the government leaders in the region including Regional Commissioner (RC) to address the concerns on time.
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In the list of the opposition parties' members who defected to CCM were the ACT Wazalendo's former Chairperson in Lindi, Mr Hamidu Bobali.
He said he was persuaded by the government's readiness and determination to listen to citizens and solve their problems.
He mentioned the ongoing provision cashew farming inputs in the region as an example which prior to the sixth phase government missed.
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He said he decided to join CCM with other opposition members forming a total of 250 in the region due to such unwavering commitment of the government to improve citizens' livelihoods.
"Today I end over 20 years of being outside the CCM party" he told citizens who attended the rally.
Mr Bobali noted that he once served as the Civic United Front's Research Officer at national level and in 2015 he was elected as Mchinga's MP.
Later on, he joined ACT Wazalendo.
He left the ACT Wazalendo's Lindi Region's chairperson seat after leading for only one year as he took the helm last year (2023).
Dr Nchimbi is in the Southern Zone particularly Mtwara and Lindi for his four-day working visit that kicked off on July 28 and it was concluded on Wednesday.
