Remaining Was Equivalent to Applauding the Process

Adeladius Makwega – Mbagala

“I am not defending Dr. Mpango, but my recollection shows that a report was presented in the Central Committee of CCM by the Party Chairman stating that Dr. Mpango had requested to resign earlier, but his request was rejected. Our problem is the Constitution—let’s address that.”

This is one of the most important comments in an article by Mwanakwetu titled “Nchimbi Should Not Be Like Mpango” dated April 17, 2026. Mwanakwetu has received this comment wholeheartedly, treating it with great seriousness and respect so that it may help shape today’s article. This is a comment from a very thoughtful individual whom Mwanakwetu knows well, and who was once a skilled journalist, writer of articles, and economic analyst in Tanzania for many years.

Indeed, let us assume that Dr. Philip Mpango truly wanted to resign, but the Central Committee rejected his request.

 

There is only one question: What procedure does the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania provide for the resignation of the Vice President?

The 1977 Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania provides clear guidance regarding the resignation of the Vice President.

Key points include:

“The Vice President may resign voluntarily by submitting a written notice to the President. The resignation becomes official once the notice is received by the President or after the period specified in the letter.”

Dear reader, refer to Articles 37 and 50 of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania, which address procedures for assuming and leaving office, including resignation.

“Besides resignation, the office of the Vice President may become vacant if the officeholder dies while in office. They may also lose eligibility—for example, if they become unable to perform their duties due to physical or mental illness. If the President dies, resigns, or becomes unable to perform their duties, the Vice President ascends to the presidency, leaving the vice-presidential position vacant.”

Remember, if the Vice President’s position becomes vacant due to resignation or any other reason, the President appoints another Vice President. This is what happened when the Vice President became President following the death of President John Pombe Magufuli.

 

That is what the Constitution states. However, before resigning, shouldn’t the Vice President reflect on the oath of office they took? Once you write a resignation letter and it reaches the President, your job is done—that is what the Constitution directs. There is no Central Committee or National Executive Council of CCM that has authority here; under the Constitution, all of them are simply ordinary citizens.

No one has been granted the power to reject the resignation of the Vice President or the President. If you submit a resignation letter and someone tells you it has been rejected, you should ask: under which Constitution? Where do you derive that authority? Don’t you see that by remaining in office after resigning, you yourself would be violating the Constitution that both the President and Vice President swear to uphold?

In other words, members of the Central Committee are merely citizens with their own interests, sometimes tied to government levels. None of them can dictate anything in this matter, because the highest oath is that of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, followed by that of the Vice President.

For the benefit of Mwanakwetu’s readers, who are the members of the CCM National Central Committee? In reality, most members fall into two main groups: former government officials who have held various positions and later stepped down, and businesspeople. For many years, this body has largely consisted of such individuals. That is why some people say:

“The CCM National Central Committee has become like a Business Summit or a Retired Leaders’ Summit, and for a long time it has lacked representation from grassroots party members. Unlike in the days of TANU/ASP, whose meetings included ordinary citizens from the grassroots.”

What does Mwanakwetu say today?

If it is true that Dr. Philip Mpango wanted to resign but was prevented, then he did not do justice to the office he held. In fact, if recommendations were to be made, he should not even have been granted the benefits associated with the Vice Presidency. In that case, the proposal to deny him those benefits would be justified.

On the other hand, if the claim about his attempted resignation is not true, then the question becomes: what was Dr. Mpango’s stance regarding the issue of placing our port on the market?

Certainly, Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi must learn from the major weaknesses of Dr. Philip Mpango, as these weaknesses are infuriating—which is precisely the aim of Mwanakwetu in writing this article.

Resigning would have prevented many negative developments. It would have allowed CCM to reflect earlier, and perhaps issues involving Ambassador Hussein Kattanga, Officer Diwani Athumani Msuya, and the removal of figures like Elias Hamisi from the Port Directorate would not have occurred. Conflicts involving Humphrey Polepole, the problems of October 29, 2025 and the days that followed, the detention of Tundu Lissu, and even today’s calls for reconciliation might not have arisen.

“Indeed, resignation was the right course of action and would have halted the continuation of the disputed process. Remaining in government, however, allowed the process to continue—which is the situation we face today.”

Therefore, my elder Dr. Philip Mpango, you will not receive my greetings of respect.

Mwanakwetu, are you there? Remember:

“Remaining was equivalent to applauding the process.”

Wishing you a good day.

makwadeladius@gmail.com
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