Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), has nominated Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi to succeed former Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi. The decision comes days after Nchimbi announced his resignation and retirement from politics and public service.

In a meeting convened by the CCM Central Committee in Dar es Salaam, the ruling party also resolved to expel Nchimbi from the party on disciplinary grounds. The decision to expel the former Vice President has raised questions about whether his departure from office was entirely voluntary.

Speaking to journalists, CCM Secretary General Dr Asha Rose Migiro said the decision to expel Nchimbi followed disciplinary and ethical matters involving the former Vice President.

“Upon considering all the information available, we have established that the CCM constitution was violated. Therefore, the Party’s National Executive Committee resolved to expel Dr Nchimbi from the Party,” Dr Asha said.

The development marks the end of Nchimbi’s tenure in the ruling party. Prior to his appointment as the country’s Vice President, he served as CCM Secretary General.

Dr Nchimbi began his political career through CCM’s youth wing, UVCCM, where he rose through the ranks before becoming its chairman in 1998. He later entered elective politics in 2005 following his election as Songea Town Member of Parliament.

Meanwhile, Deogratius John Ndejembi, who has been nominated to replace Nchimbi, was serving as Tanzania’s Energy Minister. The Vice President nominee has previously held several positions within the structures of the CCM party.

Some of the positions Ndejembi held within CCM include membership of the National Council of the CCM Youth League, the General Council and the Party’s National Executive Committee. His active role in CCM party activities contributed to his political rise, leading to his election as Member of Parliament for Chamwino in 2020.

Ndejembi’s political career has also been intertwined with senior government appointments. In 2021, he served in the President’s Office as Deputy Minister responsible for Public Service Management and Good Governance before being moved in 2023 to the department of Regional Administration and Local Government within the President’s Office.

Other positions Ndejembi has held include Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disabilities. He was later moved to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, a position he held until 2025.

Tanzania’s Vice President nominee, Deogratius John Ndejembi, now awaits Parliamentary approval before he can be confirmed as the country’s seventh Vice President under the single-office system established in 1995.