By Adonis Byemelwa
The political temperature in Tanzania continues to rise as police in the southern region of Ruvuma reportedly barred the opposition party Chadema from holding both public rallies and a scheduled press conference on Thursday, April 10, 2025.
Speaking shortly after emerging from a session with police officers in Songea, Chadema's Vice Chairman for Mainland Tanzania, John Heche, described the situation as "deeply worrying and a clear attempt to silence opposition voices."
“We were summoned, brought to the Regional Police Commander, and told that all our meetings in Ruvuma are banned—including our press conference,” Heche told Jambo TV. “They explicitly told us to leave Ruvuma. No public gatherings, no press meetings—nothing.”
According to Heche, the ban came with an unusual condition: they were instructed not to mention the party’s ongoing campaign, dubbed No Reforms No Election, which calls for comprehensive electoral reforms before the 2025 general elections.
“When I asked if they could suggest an acceptable topic for our events, the officer replied, ‘You are not allowed to talk about No Reforms No Election here,’” Heche recounted. His remarks highlight a growing sense of unease within the opposition as state apparatuses appear increasingly intolerant of dissenting political views.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) Marco Chilya, the Ruvuma Regional Police Commander, declined to elaborate when contacted, promising only a formal statement to the media later that day. By then, Chadema leaders had already been forced to pack up and leave the region.
The authorities have yet to provide a formal justification for banning the gatherings. But to political observers, the move appears to be part of a broader crackdown on Chadema’s political activities as the party ramps up its pressure campaign.
Just a day earlier, on April 9, Chadema Chairman Tundu Lissu was reportedly arrested following a public rally in Mbinga District. The event was part of the party’s twin campaigns, Tone Tone and No Reforms No Election, aimed at mobilizing grassroots support and demanding changes to the electoral commission.
Critics are calling this an alarming trend. The incident in Ruvuma is not isolated; rather, it's the latest episode in a deepening standoff between opposition leaders and state institutions.
Analysts suggest that such actions reflect not only a clampdown on freedom of assembly and expression but also a deliberate undermining of political plurality ahead of the 2025 polls.
“Chadema is being squeezed from all sides,” said political commentator Ansbert Ngurumo, speaking from abroad. “Without unity within, and with these external pressures, it becomes hard for them to retain public trust.”
Compounding the crisis are internal rifts that have emerged following the expulsion of 19 MPs from Chadema. These lawmakers, once prominent figures in the party, now openly criticize the very campaign that got them elected.
One of them, Nusrat Hanje—who has declared her intention to run for a constituency seat in Singida—dismissed the No Reforms No Election campaign while in Parliament, saying: “They have no case. Samia for another five years—no one can stop the election.”
Hanje went further, indirectly questioning Lissu’s credibility: “He acts like he can stop an election. If he could, why didn’t his supporters stop his arrest in Mbinga?”
Her remarks were echoed by Salome Makamba, another expelled MP from Shinyanga, who declared her support for President Samia Suluhu and dismissed her former party’s current leadership direction.
Yet, despite being labeled “Covid-19” MPs—a term Chadema supporters use derisively to refer to the defectors—the expelled members are not entirely alone. A growing faction calling itself the G-55 has emerged, arguing that blocking the 2025 elections is tantamount to denying the party crucial public subsidies, which are largely tied to parliamentary representation.
John Heche and Tundu Lissu, however, remain defiant. Lissu has repeatedly stated that accepting election funding soaked in “the blood of the people” is morally indefensible. He referenced the deadly local government elections in November 2024 as a turning point, saying, “We cannot continue hurting people without reforms. We must fix the electoral commission first.”
Still, not everyone in the opposition agrees. Dr. Godfrey Malisa, a political activist, has criticized the internal democracy of the ruling party itself, questioning the process that led to President Samia Suluhu’s nomination. He has since filed a case in court challenging her candidacy.
That fragmentation within the opposition, however, fuels broader concerns. If Chadema fails to rebuild internal consensus, political analyst Ngurumo warns it may meet the same fate as defunct parties like NCCR-Mageuzi or CUF. And that, he says, would leave Tanzanians even more vulnerable.
“The lack of robust opposition in Parliament is already evident,” he noted. “With just 28 opposition MPs out of over 300, Parliament is now almost a monologue. The CAG’s reports—once triggers for national debate—barely register anymore.”
Buberwa Kaiza, another analyst, takes a more forgiving view. “Internal friction is part of political life,” he said. “Every party goes through it.” But he also agrees that the current environment—marked by bans, arrests, and media suppression—is eroding the very foundation of democratic engagement.
In this escalating clash between power and opposition, the implications are stark. Preventing a political party from assembling, addressing the press, or freely campaigning erodes not just their organizational strength but chips away at the democratic space for all Tanzanians.
With the 2025 general elections approaching fast, the real question isn’t just about electoral reforms anymore—it’s whether the political atmosphere in Tanzania still permits meaningful participation at all.
Dr. Miguna Miguna, a fiery Kenyan lawyer and vocal defender of civil liberties now living in exile in Canada, didn’t mince words on social media. He strongly condemned the arrest of Chadema Chairman Tundu Lissu on treason-related charges, calling it “a blatant abuse of power and a textbook example of authoritarian paranoia.” In one of his viral posts, he wrote, “Detaining a political opponent for speaking truth to power is not just anti-democratic—it reeks of dictatorship.”
Miguna’s criticism echoes a growing chorus of concern beyond Tanzania’s borders, highlighting just how high the stakes are—not just for Chadema, but for every citizen who still believes in a future where ideas are debated, not silenced.
And in the face of bans, arrests, and mounting pressure, a glimmer of resilience remains. It’s in the voices still speaking, the crowds still gathering, and the spirit of a people who refuse to surrender their hope for a better, freer tomorrow.
