Dar es Salaam – The opposition party ACT Wazalendo has formally requested a national extension for the appointment of election agents, citing widespread and deliberate sabotage by some electoral officials that it claims is designed to cripple its ability to monitor the October 29, 2025, polls.
In a public statement issued on October 23, 2025, the party announced it had written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), pleading for the registration and swearing-in period to be extended until October 27, 2025. The party argues this is necessary to secure its legal right to have agents at polling stations and during the vote-counting process.
The request, filed under reference ACT/HQ/INEC/024/VOL.III/044, leans on the National Elections Act, specifically Regulation 40(2) and 40(6), which grant the Commission the authority to permit a shorter registration period.
The statement was issued by Mbarala Maharagande on behalf of the party’s Secretary-General, Ado Shaibu. It detailed a litany of alleged obstructive tactics employed by certain Returning and Assistant Returning Officers, accusing them of acting in bad faith to benefit the ruling CCM party.
“Apart from the Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers who performed their duties competently without hindrance, there are Returning Officers who have deliberately tried to sabotage this exercise for their own known motives,” the statement read.
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The party provided a list of specific grievances, including:
- Election offices being closed early, immediately after the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) agents were sworn in.
- Officials giving the wrong date for the exercise and then claiming the deadline had passed.
- Rejecting agents over false claims they were under 18 years old.
- Demanding unnecessary documentation like voter IDs and two photographs, contrary to regulations.
- Simply being absent from their posts and returning only to declare the exercise over.
The alleged misconduct was reported in numerous constituencies across the country, including Temeke, Mbagala, Ubungo, Iringa Urban, Shinyanga Urban, Karagwe, Mbeya Urban and Rural, and Songwe, among others.
ACT Wazalendo has now called on the national electoral body to intervene. “We have asked the National NEC to extend the period for this exercise until October 27, 2025,” the statement concluded.
As of now, INEC has not publicly responded to the party’s allegations or its request for an extension, leaving the opposition party’s capacity to observe the election in doubt.
