Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE High Court, Dar es Salaam District Registry, yesterday rejected the request to suspend the election process of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) leaders, including the president, which has been scheduled for August 7, 2021.
Judge Edwin Kakolaki ruled against the ousted candidate to the post, Ally Saleh, who is the applicant, after refusing to grant an application for “maintenance of status quo” pending determination of another application for injunctive orders against the election.
He agreed with the submissions presented by advocates for the TFF and other respondents, Alex Mushumbusi and Kennedy Alex that the applicant could not establish in his affidavit he filed to support the application some key principals to justify the grant of the orders sought.
The applicant’s advocates, Frank Chacha, Nafikire Mwambona and Steven Mosha, had contended, among others, that the matter was urgency and that if the election process would go on their client would suffer irreparable loss and would occasion some dangers.
In his ruling, however, the judge had this to say, “There is nothing material to prove such assertion in the affidavit filed to support the application. These are mere words given by the advocates from the bar. The applicant has failed to prove the urgency and that there is any danger.”
The judge was of the views that the best option would be to expedite the matter and decided to adjourn the case to July 9, 2021 for hearing of the main application under which the applicant is requesting the court to issue a temporary injunction to restrain the respondents from conducting the election.
Saleh has also moved the court to restrain the respondents from undertaking anything in the preparations of the prospective TFF general elections as per intended calendar date pending hearing and final determination of the main suit, which has already been filed in court.
In the main suit, the applicant has alleged some issues pertaining to the TFF constitution and is seeking for declaratory orders. The applicant has alleged some discrimination matters of the constitution, which bars some of the contestants, in particular from Zanzibar to participate in the election.
Other respondents apart from TFF are Registered Trustees of TFF and the Chairman of Election Committee of the Federation. Following the court’s decision, the election process which includes preparation of ballot papers and launch of campaign will proceed as scheduled, unless decided otherwise by the court upon adjudicating the application for temporary injunction.
