Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, has claimed its national vice chairman, John Heche, was seized by police in Dodoma on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, intensifying anxiety in a country already grappling with post-election unrest and reports of enforced disappearances.

In a statement issued by the party on the same day, CHADEMA said officers from Mtumba Police Station took Mr Heche earlier in the day, claiming he had been summoned by the Dodoma Regional Police Commander.

He was taken in front of his wife and the party’s Central Zone Secretary, Ashura Masoud. When the two tried to follow, the police vehicles sped off, leaving them behind.

Later, when they arrived at the office of the Regional Police Commander, they were told that no such summons existed. The party says Heche’s whereabouts remain unknown.

“We demand that the Inspector General of Police, the Director of Criminal Investigations, the Regional Police Commander and the Officer Commanding Mtumba Police Station provide an immediate public explanation regarding the whereabouts and safety of Hon John Heche,” the party said.

Tension follows disputed poll

The incident comes just a few days after CHADEMA rejected the presidential election results, calling the process an open coup that denied Tanzanians their right to choose their leaders. The electoral commission declared President Samia Suluhu Hassan the winner with more than 97 per cent of the vote, securing a second term.

The party had been barred from contesting after failing to sign the electoral code of conduct under disputed circumstances, while its chair, Tundu Lissu, was arrested in April on treason charges.

During the election, protests erupted in major cities, with heavy security on the streets, widespread arrests, and restricted internet access. Opposition figures and rights groups have reported deaths.

President Hassan was sworn in on Monday at a tightly-controlled military venue in Dodoma, without public attendance – a departure from previous inaugurations. She praised the election as fair and urged unity, but acknowledged loss of lives during the unrest.