UKAWA NOMINATION: Lipumba: The perennial presidential candidate

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Prof Ibrahim Lipumba is a household name in Tanzania for more than two decades now. His is a name that needs no introduction as far as Tanzanian politics is concerned.

The economics guru of international repute became chairman of the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) in 1995, and since that year he has unsuccessfully vied for the presidency four consecutive times. He recently picked up nomination forms from his party, seeking its endorsement to run for the highest office in the land for the fifth time.

Announcing his bid in a televised address,  he said his vast experience in national politics, expertise of the economy and zeal to end corruption in the country made him pick up forms to embark on yet another quest for State House.

He said it was now time for Tanzanians to look to the opposition as their saviour from five decades of CCM rule, “which has brought them nothing but poverty and grand corruption”.
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“Some people who are supposed to be behind bars for their involvement in corruption have picked up presidential nomination forms in CCM. All these corrupt individuals deserve to be in jail and their property returned to the public from whom they stole,” he said.

Prof Lipumba also promised to prioritise employment, infrastructure development, healthcare provision and promote access to healthy food for children and women who he said were currently suffering from severe malnutrition.

He made his first attempt in the 1995 General Election in which he emerged third, winning six per cent of the vote behind Benjamin Mkapa of CCM, who won with 61 per cent, and Mr Augustine Mrema of NCCR-Mageuzi, who got 27 per cent of the vote.

Five years later, Prof Lipumba became the top opposition contender following the disintegration of NCCR-Mageuzi. He finished second behind Mr Mkapa with 16 per cent of the vote.

Representing CUF for the third time in a row in the 2005 elections, Prof Lipumba finished a distant second with 11 per cent of the vote behind CCM’s Jakaya Kikwete, who garnered an  80 per cent landslide.

In the 2010 presidential election, Prof Lipumba dropped to third behind Chadema’s Dr Willibrod Slaa (27 per cent) and  CCM’s Jakaya Kikwete, who was re-elected with 62 per cent of the vote.

This year, however, things are not expected to follow the same pattern as in previous elections. CUF and three other opposition parties – Chadema, NCCR-Mageuzi and NLD – have joined forces to form a coalition known as Ukawa.

The parties agreed last year to field and support a single candidate in all elective posts, including the presidency. The formula they agreed on is for each party to pick a candidate.  A meeting of  Ukawa principals would then convene to pick a single candidate out of four aspirants.