Chadema threatens to sue Nnauye for defamation

ABDULWAKIL SAIBOKO

CHAMA cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) has threatened to sue the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Secretary of Ideology and Publicity, Mr Nape Nnauye, for allegedly tarnishing its image.

The party's Director of Communications and Publicity, Mr John Mnyika, told a news conference in Dar es Salaam  that the party has written to Mr Nnauye explaining its intention."We wrote a legal letter to him on the 24th of August (Friday) asking him to apologize within seven days and pay three billion/- as damages for trouble caused by his utterances that Chadema is deceiving people and its leaders are unscrupulous, ready to sell the country," he said.

Mnyika, who is also the legislator for Ubungo, noted that failure by Nnauye to meet the demands placed by Chadema in seven days, the matter will be taken to the High Court.Mr Nnauye was recently quoted by a section of the media saying that Chadema's Movement for Change (M4C) campaign to mobilise financial resources was meant to sanction the money which the party had sourced abroad.

Mr Nnauye had accused Chadema of selling the country to foreigners by accepting their money.

Mnyika said that Chadema has focused on Nnauye as a person and not CCM as the organization because"his words seem to be his personal stand against Chadema".

The MP noted that earlier, Chadema had urged the CCM Chairman, President Jakaya Kikwete, to raise his voice in support of Nnauye's statement if that was the party's stand but in vain."We have been hesitant to pinpoint CCM because we do not have proof that Nnauye's words represented the party's stand," he said.

Mr Mnyika added that the party's major focus was to see Nnauye apologizing on the matter and that the monetary compensation was to show that misleading could be costly.He noted that his party will continue with its M4C campaigns and that the campaigns were done in good faith and nothing fishy.

Chadema's stand on the matter comes few days after the Party's Secretary General, Dr Wilbroad Slaa, was quoted in Kilosa town, Morogoro Region saying he had already requested the Registrar of Political Parties, Mr John Tendwa, in writing to compel Mr Nnauye and CCM to confirm accusations that Chadema had obtained money from abroad.

"If they fail to confirm this, appropriate action will be taken against them," he said.He also wondered as to why law enforcement agents were not investigating Chadema on the allegations.

Source: Daily News (27/08/2012): http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/8942-chadema-threatens-to-sue-nnauye-for-defamation