Dar es Salaam. The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties has revoked the appointments of eight senior officials of opposition party Chadema, citing a breach of quorum requirements during their confirmation by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) on January 22, 2025.
In addition to the revocation, the Registrar has issued directives to Chadema to adhere to provisions of the Political Parties Act, party regulations, and the Chadema constitution.
The move follows formal complaints submitted by the party’s chairman for Mwanga District in Kilimanjaro Region, Lembrus Mchome, who alleged that the NEC meeting in question lacked the quorum required to endorse the appointments made by newly elected party chairman Tundu Lissu.
Among those affected by the Registrar’s decision are Chadema Secretary General John Mnyika, Deputy Secretary General (Mainland) Amani Golugwa and Deputy Secretary General (Zanzibar) Ally Ibrahim Juma. Others are Central Committee members Godbless Lema, Rose Mayemba, Salma Kasanzu, Hafidh Ally Saleh and chief legal advisor, Dr Rugemeleza Nshala.
According to the Registrar, the eight will remain suspended until a properly constituted NEC meeting is convened to address their appointments.
Mchome’s first letter, dated February 18, 2025, challenged the legality of the appointments. In response, Mnyika maintained during a public address on March 25, 2025, that the NEC meeting followed correct procedures, arguing that a 50 percent quorum was sufficient as the meeting was neither electoral nor one seeking to amend the party constitution or policies, which would require a 75 percent quorum.
Nonetheless, the Registrar's Office acknowledged receipt of Mchome’s letter and subsequently demanded a formal response from Chadema on April 8, 2025, setting a three-day deadline. A follow-up letter from the Registrar on March 31, 2025, granted the party seven days to respond.
Although Chadema did submit a response, the complainant remained dissatisfied and lodged a second petition, insisting that the appointments be nullified in line with the party’s constitution.
On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Mwananchi, a sister newspaper to The Citizen, reported that a senior Chadema official, speaking on condition of anonymity, had confirmed receipt of a letter from the Registrar supporting Mchome’s position.
“These are very bad news,” said the official. “The Registrar has sent us a letter agreeing with Mchome’s claims, stating that the quorum was not met and instructing us to convene another NEC meeting with a valid quorum.”
The official added that the party was yet to determine its next steps, as many senior members were currently deployed across the country for the ongoing ‘No Reforms, No Election’ campaign.
Following the developments, Chadema’s Director of Communications and Publicity, Brenda Rupia, confirmed that she had heard of the matter but was yet to receive full details.
“I tried calling Mr Golugwa, but we couldn’t connect. The current information is that he has been arrested by the police,” she said. “I’m still following up on these reports to verify them. Once I have confirmation, we will make an official statement, as this is information the public deserves to know.”
The circumstances surrounding Golugwa’s reported arrest remain unclear and are under investigation.
Efforts by Mwananchi to reach Mchome for comment were unsuccessful, although he indicated he would address the media on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Sources suggest he may speak at any moment to reveal the Registrar’s response to his complaint.
Attempts to contact officials from the Registrar’s Office, including Registrar Judge Francis Mutungi and Deputy Registrar Sisty Nyahoza, were also unsuccessful by the time of going to press.
Efforts to obtain further comments from the Registrar’s Office are ongoing.
