On January 15, this year leaders of UKAWA declared in Dar es Salaam that their members would not participate in the coming referendum slated to take place at the end of April, this year. Briefing newsmen, Ukawa co-chairman Professor Ibrahim Lipumba said that they had come to the decision after having interpreted and discussed ongoing preparations as currently being handled by the ruling party and that there were lots of irregularities in the process.
Kwa upande wake naibu katibu mkuu wa Chadema – Zanzibar, Salum Mwalimu amesema uamuzi wa Chama cha mapinduzi kuwapa onyo baadhi ya wanachama wake, wakiwemo wajumbe wa kamati kuu ambao wametangaza mapema nia ya kugombea nafasi ya urais, itakayoachwa wazi na rais Jakaya Kikwete baada ya uchaguzi mkuu baadaye mwaka huu ni ishara na dalili za wazi kwamba chama hicho hakijajiandaa kisaikolojia kuwa chama cha upinzani kutokana na nguvu kubwa inayoonyeshwa na Chadema pamoja na Ukawa.