The defence team of Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu told a court that CHADEMA's 'No Reforms, No Election' campaign stemmed from what it described as systematic irregularities in the 2024 local government polls, according to The Chanzo. A deputy secretary general of the party testified that the alleged failures in those elections drove the party's decision to push its electoral reform stance. The testimony forms part of proceedings in Lissu's ongoing case.

A CHADEMA party leader testifying for the defence in the trial of Tundu Lissu conceded in a Dar es Salaam court on Friday that the party chairperson intended his April 3, 2025 speech to reach the Tanzanian public and that its purpose was to press the government to undertake legal reforms to the electoral system. According to The Chanzo, the admission came as prosecutors continued challenging the defence's account of the speech, which is central to the case against Lissu.

The defence in the treason trial of CHADEMA official Tundu Lissu introduced election-observer claims and accounts of arrests, according to The Chanzo. A deputy CHADEMA secretary general told the court that the excerpts underpinning the charges were taken out of context from a three-hour speech about reforms. The testimony forms part of the defence's effort to challenge the prosecution's framing of Lissu's remarks.

The treason trial of CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu continued on September 9, 2026, at Tanzania's High Court, with the defence side set to present its evidence, according to Global Publishers. The case against the opposition leader has been ongoing, and this session marks the stage where the defence puts forward its submissions. The report does not provide further details on the proceedings or the specific evidence expected to be tabled before the court.

Political tensions have escalated between former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen as they exchanged accusations regarding the violence witnessed in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County. The dispute has raised questions about the causes of the unrest, with each side blaming the other, amid rising political temperatures ahead of the by-election on July 16, 2026, and the general election in 2027. Gachagua claimed via a post on X that the government used police and gangs to disrupt activities of his Democracy party.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged Joash Amupitan, the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), regarding the upcoming 2027 elections. The ADC claims that INEC is facing a dilemma between maintaining its integrity and facing disgrace, urging Amupitan to consider how he wishes to be remembered in this context.