Tanzania’s opposition chief Tundu Lissu’s campaign programme was on Thursday disrupted after the local aviation authority declined to grant the helicopter he had been scheduled to use flying rights to Pwani region.
In a statement to newsrooms, Lissu’s Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) party stated that they received a communication from Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) moments before the boarding time.
Lissu’s campaign manager Amani Golugwa received the communication as the opposition chief and his team had been cleared to board at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam.
According to the party, TCAA did not give a proper explanation as to why the helicopter could not fly to Bagamoyo, Chalinze, Mlandizi and Kibaha as planned despite prior arrangements.
Read: Tanzania’s Opposition Party Offices “Firebombed” Ahead Of Presidential Hopeful Tundu Lissu’s Visit
The party was forced to look for other means for Lissu and his aides to continue with their campaigns.
This is not the first time Lissu’s presidential campaign is being disrupted in the country, with Chadema blaming President John Pombe Magufuli’s regime for attempting to sabotage opposition campaigns.
The opposition leader who is expected to give Magufuli a run for his money in the coming general elections returned to Tanzania on July 27.
He had been living in Belgium and has undergone at least 20 surgeries after he survived an assassination attempt in September 2017.
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