Top Chadema officials quit over party discontent, strategy disputes
Some zonal and council leaders from opposition party Chadema pose for a group photo after announcing their resignation in Dar es Salaam today, May 10, 2025. PHOTO | SUNDAY GEORGE
What you need to know:
- In a joint statement issued on Saturday May 10, 13 high-ranking officials from eight Mainland zones announced their decision to relinquish their party membership.
Dar es Salaam. A group of senior officials from the opposition party Chadema have resigned from the party en masse, citing growing internal discontent and constitutional violations within the party’s leadership.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday May 10, 13 high-ranking officials from eight Mainland zones – Pwani, Serengeti, Northern, Southern, Central, Nyasa, Victoria and Western – announced their decision to relinquish their party membership.
Among the reasons listed were increasing violations of the party’s constitution, internal divisions, and discrimination against members aligned with former national chairman Freeman Mbowe.
The officials also condemned Chadema’s recent strategy of boycotting national elections, accusing the party of enabling the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) to win by default.
Notable figures among those who resigned include Jackson Jingu, former Vice Chair of the Central Zone; Emma Kimambo, former Treasurer of the Northern Zone; Basil Lema, a long-serving national trainer and former Kilimanjaro regional secretary; and Gimbi Masaba, ex-MP and former Vice Chair of BAWACHA in the Serengeti Zone.
“We can no longer align ourselves with a party that has abandoned its democratic principles and marginalised those who have been loyal to its former leadership,” read part of the statement.
The resignations also included leaders from key party structures like Bawacha (the women's wing), with officials such as Hadija Said Mwago of Mbagala and Magreth Mlekwa from Nyasa stepping down.
The group revealed that an additional 13 leaders from the same zones, who were unable to attend the press conference due to various emergencies, are expected to release their own resignation statements soon.
Responding to the development, Chadema Secretary-General John Mnyika dismissed the resignations as inconsequential, emphasizing that the party remains strong and committed to its core agenda.
“Chadema is stable and will continue to be stable. Our members should remain focused and committed to our stand: No reforms, no election,” said Mnyika.
