Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Anoda round of wahala don show for Tanzania as dem declare President Samia Suluhu Hassan as di winner of di presidential election wey happen last Wednesday. E carry about 98% of di vote, as dem say she don fit clean sweep di elections wey see around 32 million ballots cast. But my padi, wetin be dis? While dem dey celebrate one side, di other side get serious unrest wey don turn di whole country upside down! (Na wah o, some people dey enjoy while others dey suffer!)
International observers don talk say di election get serious issues of transparency, and di wahala wey follow don cost plenty lives, with reports of hundreds of people don die and many others don suffer injuries. E no sweet at all for di ears when we hear say di government don shut down internet to make sure say dem fit control di narrative. (No be small tin, na toning and police wahala everywhere.)
Jacobs Mwambegele, di electoral chief, announce di results on Saturday, say, “I hereby announce Samia Suluhu Hassan as di winner of di presidential election under di Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.” Di figure wey dem dey talk na about 31.9 million votes, wey fit give di ruling party a heavy presence in di country. Omo, dis na serious matter!
Meanwhile, for Zanzibar, di incumbent president Hussein Mwinyi too don carry about 80% of di votes. But di opposition dey shout say dem see “massive fraud”, and wey no be wetin dem go just take lightly. (As e dey sweet for di ruling side, so e dey sour for di opposition!)
Na so protests begin, especially for Dar es Salaam where dem dey tear di posters of Samia and dey fight police. Even curfew wey dem impose no fit stop di young people wey dey vex. Dem dey shout say di election no fair! Dem dey accuse di government of jailing di main opposition leaders and suppressing any voice wey no gree follow di ruling party line.
Chadema party talk say around 700 people don die for di clashes, wetin wey serious observers don confirm say dey dey happen. While government say na just “few pockets of incidents”, di real story be say, even UN Chief Antonio Guterres don express him worry for di wahala wey dey happen. Na im say “stop di escalation,” but who go hear am?
Di Foreign Minister, Mahmoud Kombo Thabit, don talk say di violence na just small issues and say dem dey handle di situation. E even claim say no excessive force don dey used. (E get as e be, if na you dey run things, you go fit talk say na only ‘small’ fire dey burn?)
As di protests dey continue, police dey lock everywhere up, and dem post soldiers to control di situation while di internet dey red alert. Opposition dey talk say at least 500 people don die, but government no wan hear dat side of di story. Na wah! Di situation don dey escalate since di elections, and di pressure dey mount for government as dey dey try to cancel di noise.
Sah, as dem dey prepare swearing-in for Mwinyi in Zanzibar, di protests don scatter everywhere – and you go just dey wonder, when this political drama go end? (Dis kind drama fit make better movie, no be lie!)
As di world dey watch, dem expect say dis anger fit bring more reform. Na di wish of di people be say make dem finally fit see free and fair elections for dis beautiful country wey don suffer plenty wahala in di past.
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