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JUDGMENT SUMMARY
ADO SHAIBU AND OTHERS
V.
UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
APPLICATION NO. 046/2020
JUDGMENT ON MERITS AND REPARATION
6 MARCH 2026
A DECISION OF THE AFRICAN COURT ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS
Arusha, 6 March 2026: The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Court)
today delivered a Judgment in the case of Ado Shaibu and Others v. United Republic
of Tanzania.
Mr Ado Shaibu, Mr Ezekiah Dibogo Wenje, Mr Omar Musa Makame, Ms Dorah
Seronga Wangwe, Mr Enock Weges Suguta and Mr Kassim Ali Haji (hereinafter
referred to as (“Applicants”) are nationals of the United Republic of Tanzania and
members of the political party - Alliance for Change and Transparency. They filed their
Application against the United Republic of Tanzania (“The Respondent State”)
claiming violations of their civil and political rights, preceding, during and immediately
after the 2020 general elections in the Respondent State.
In accordance with Article 3 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and
People’s Rights on the Establishment of An African Court on Human and Peoples’
Rights (“The Protocol”), the Court first determined whether it had jurisdiction to hear
the Application. In this regard, the Respondent State objected to the material
jurisdiction of the Court, stating that the Court’s jurisdiction is limited and therefore it
cannot determine issues that fall purely under the jurisdiction of its national courts. In
its decision, the Court dismissed the objection and found that even though its