Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, is experiencing a wave of exit of members who supported the former Chairperson of the party, Freeman Mbowe. The members have been finding ways to make their exit as theatrical as possible, with analysts explaining this is to create a sense of influence and show the party is disintegrating. On its side, CHADEMA has responded here and there, but its massive rallies have been the biggest response without words.

The group has branded itself as ‘G55’, taking the name from the biggest dissenting movement led by parliamentarians inside the ruling party to demand a three-tier government in the Tanzanian union.

The ‘CHADEMA G55’, which emanated from a WhatsApp group discussion, uses the networks used during the CHADEMA internal election, specifically the Team Mbowe network, to entice people to join the bandwagon. After the release of their statement against no reform, no election on April 03, 2025, the group shifted to holding press conferences and convincing others to leave the party. Promises used to entice members are that there is already an agreement that will allow them, after joining a new party, to win about 30 parliamentary seats, special seats, and to receive financial resources to conduct the election.

Internal election wounds

There are two major reasons mentioned by the G55 for leaving the party, first the CHADEMA’s no reform, no election stance; the group’s leadership, John Mrema, says it is denying them a chance to fulfill their dreams. And second, the group says that people who supported Freeman Mbowe have been discriminated against in the party and harassed. Both of the two reasons have also been opposed as untrue by other members who are also considered part of the supporters of Mbowe.

“What has been happening in the party from the day of the election until now is serious discrimination against members who are labeled as part of the ‘Mbowe team,'” said Benson Kigaila, who served in CHADEMA’s Secretariat since 2004. “They are being sidelined from the Central Committee down to the grassroots. Anyone known to have supported Mbowe is being branded a traitor,” he emphasized.

“In my view, if anyone should be called a traitor, it would be the former Vice Chairman who ran for the position of Chairman while the current Chairman was still in office, perhaps those are the real traitors,” Kigaila further clarified. Kigaila was officially announcing his resignation from the party on May 7, 2025, alongside Salum Mwalimu and Catherine Ruge, both former senior officials in the party.

Salumu Mwalimu, who is considered a close confidant of Freeman Mbowe, also insisted that the party has lost its direction. “You can win through deceit, through the sword, through schemes, lies, or manipulation. You can win by every evil means, and you will win. But once you have won, you must take a moment to reflect, to evaluate yourself, and understand that you are now a leader of the people,” said Salum Mwalimu, who served as a senior leader in CHADEMA’s Secretariat for 10 years.

“You cannot win through deception and expect to lead the party through deception,” Mwalimu added. The sentiment of both Mwalimu and Kigaila was also echoed by Catherine Ruge, former MP and vibrant member of CHADEMA’s women’s wing, who emphasized that there is no room for exchange of ideas in the party and that she lost, ‘sense of belonging’ and she can’t stay where she is not happy anymore.

Most analysts note that, while there are differences of opinion within the party, a key issue is that some individuals who supported the former chairperson have not accepted the outcome and are struggling to adapt to the new realities.

“Tanzanians know that many of those in the G55 group are the same individuals who did not support Tundu Lissu during the election, so it’s no surprise to them that these people continue to oppose in this manner,” said lawyer and political analyst Thobias Messanga.

“It is unfortunate that elections are now creating hatred instead of being seen as an important step in a democratic process. It appears to be a case of dissatisfaction, or perhaps a refusal by some people to accept that they have lost in an election,” he added.

Speaking on Sunday, May 18, 2025, Boniface Jacob, the Chairperson of CHADEMA’s Pwani Zone and election coordinator for Mbowe’s campaign, strongly dismissed claims of discrimination within the party. He acknowledged that while there are two camps in the party and he has maintained contact with G55, who are part of his camp, he pointed out their trajectory is somewhat concerning, suggesting the presence of influences beyond internal party factions.

“There are people making accusations that Mbowe’s supporters are being discriminated against and removed from WhatsApp groups. But out of the nine regional chairpersons who participated in the election, eight were supporters of Mbowe. These eight chairpersons are also members of the Central Committee. So with such overwhelming numbers, how can one claim they are being sidelined or marginalized? The term ‘Team Mbowe’ is being misused,” Jacob said in his presser.

Road to CHAUMMA?

Most of the CHADEMA members who have resigned from CHADEMA are waiting to be introduced to the new party. However, the main challenge that continues to undercut their ambition is that no one in the group has significant political influence.

“The G55 will have no real impact after they depart from CHADEMA. Their decision appears to be hasty and seems to have been influenced or driven by certain forces pushing them to act without proper planning,” said political analyst Luqman Maloto in an interview with The Chanzo.

The Chanzo asked John Mrema, former CHADEMA spokesperson who also acts as G55 Leader, about the possible political direction of the G55 group, to which he responded that the group is still in consultations and discussions with various political parties, excluding CHADEMA and CCM.

“We are still in consultations to determine the most suitable political path. When the time comes to announce our decision, we will do so openly; it’s not a secret,” said John Mrema. “You can see that many people are continuing to leave CHADEMA to support us because they have heard the truth. CHADEMA is no longer a political party, they are just a group of activists.”

CHAUMMA is the party expected to accommodate the group of members migrating from CHADEMA. While the party leadership has welcomed the possibility of new members joining, it also claimed that it has not yet engaged directly with representatives of the group; many have considered this just a cover.

“I don’t know if these people have mentioned a specific party they will be joining, but as of now, they haven’t arrived. If they knock, the door is open, because we still need members. These are parties of the people,” CHAUMMA party leader Hashimu Rungwe told The Chanzo on May 14, 2025.

One of the challenges reportedly facing the former CHADEMA members who left the party is a weak influence, with many being described as mere executors of a strategy and plan orchestrated by others.

“This is a project of the system aimed at weakening and dividing CHADEMA. They used our internal party elections as an entry point to influence the few who lost, to convince other members to leave the party,” said Nice Gisunte, Chairperson of BAWACHA Ilala and one of the coordinators of Mbowe’s campaign.

“I call it a project because I was approached by the top leaders behind it. They reached out to me, believing I was one of them since we were in the same team during Mbowe’s election,” Gisunte further explained during a press briefing on May 13, 2025.

“They tried to convince me to leave the party and shared their plan with me. We know they are heading to CHAUMMA and have been promised around thirty parliamentary constituencies, as well as special seats,” she added. “They even promised me a special seat if I joined them. They’ve been promised campaign funding of between 100 to 200 million shillings per constituency.”

Speaking to the press on Sunday, Boniface Jacob, who was the campaign manager of Mbowe during the election, urged young members not to destroy their political career, underscoring that it is a lie that any seat will be left for the opposition just because they move from CHADEMA. Jacob went on to share some of the concerns shared by a few youths who were part of the process, but had to abandon it after realizing that there is more behind the scenes, especially the involvement of other individuals linked to the government.

A major point raised about the G55 endeavor is that it aims to give political legitimacy to the upcoming election; an election that CHADEMA, the largest opposition party in the country, has maintained that it will not participate in unless significant reforms are made. However, political analysts continue to express doubts about the influence of the G55 and whether they will have any meaningful impact on the country’s political landscape.

“The leaders who left and formed the G55, if you look at Kigaila and John Mrema, were all part of CHADEMA’s Secretariat. You can’t assume that where they’re going, they will automatically build strong political influence, because not even once have they, as individuals, stood on their own, built personal influence, and even manage to win something like a parliamentary seat,” said Luqman Maloto, author and political analyst.

“This is a form of self-deception, thinking that by leaving, they might make CHADEMA appear weak. Even if the party ends up looking weak later on, it won’t be because of their departure,” Maloto added.

However, many observers continue to warn that, despite the G55’s limited influence, CHADEMA must still make efforts to unify the party, to prevent internal divisions from turning into long-term weaknesses.

“I don’t see G55 as having much power. In the end, they’ll be viewed as people who lacked principle—because they could have fought their battles within the party,” said lawyer and political analyst Fortunata Kitokesy. “Still, when a house has five pillars and one is removed, its stability is compromised.”

Behind Mbowe Shadow

While CHADEMA G55 has been operating using a network established during the party’s internal election, it has also been using Mbowe’s name with a suggestion that he might migrate to another party and stand for an election. Mbowe’s silence has left many with questions, especially because the party Chairperson is in prison. This issue prompted the party secretary to reach out and inform the public that he has engaged Mr. Mbowe.

“I have spoken with former Chairman Freeman Mbowe, and he told me that he has no intention of running for president, parliament, or leading any political party in the 2025 general election,” wrote Mnyika on his X (formerly Twitter) account on May 8, 2025.

He added: “I am aware that a few of those who left the party have been using his name to convince some party leaders and aspiring candidates to leave, claiming that he supports them and is preparing to run for president through another party.”

When The Chanzo asked some CHADEMA members who had previously supported Mbowe about their opinion, particularly regarding suspicions around his name being mentioned in the ongoing exodus of small CHADEMA factions, most responded that they had no comment, while others maintained a notable silence.

However, Boniface Jacob’s appearance to distance Mbowe from the ongoing issue carries weight, especially since he was his campaign manager, and considered an influential member of ‘team Mbowe’

“Three-quarters of those who supported Mbowe are still in CHADEMA—they are not part of the G55 and have no intention of leaving. This includes members of the National Congress and the Central Committee. That alone should make it clear that anyone leaving the party should not hide behind Mbowe’s name,” Jacob emphasized.