The MDC-T national chairperson, Morgen Komichi, described as “bogus” the December 2020 extraordinary congress that ushered Douglas Mwonzora to the presidency, and the incumbent leader is illegitimate.
In a leaked telephone conversation between Komichi and a party youth, only identified as Nhira from Chegutu, Komichi said he regretted being part of the MDC-T as the “sham” results of the elective congress that saw Mwonzora win were not reflective of the will of the ordinary members.
The expóse comes hot on the heels of MDC-T vice president Thokozani Khupe’s suspension Thursday. A defiant Khupe has, however, hit back saying Mwonzora was no longer an MDC-T member after he wrote to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission early this month informing the electoral body that the opposition party would contest the 26 March by-elections as the MDC Alliance.
Komichi alleges he, together with other party presidential election hopefuls in 2020, Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe, withdrew from the poll following rigging by Mwonzora, and the current president was an illegitimate and unpopular leader.
“We withdrew officially and our supporters went away. They did not participate, and those who remained and participated were Mwonzora’s people alone. Our supporters, mine, Mudzuri’s and Khupe’s boycotted,” Komichi is heard confiding in Nhira.
“Therefore, we boycotted that (election) after the second provinces had voted. So, it was not a congress at all. That was one of the bogus things that we did come across. Those results were just announced by one group of people who did all counting and everything. So, they announced what they wanted as we had withdrawn from participation.”
In the lengthy conversation with Nhira, Komichi conceded Chamisa had a huge support base than Mwonzora.
He also confesses having a bittersweet working relationship with his former boss Chamisa, whom he says declined wise counsel from senior MDC-T members to go for an extraordinary congress to legitimise his takeover of the party.
“We spoke about this whole congress issue in April (last year) after we took note of the High Court judgment and sat Chamisa down. We held a meeting that involved myself and (secretary-general Chalton) Hwende, (national organiser Amos) Chibaya, (Murisi) Zwizwai, and Bvondo, and all five of us agreed that Chamisa was wrong.
“He needed to go for an extraordinary congress where he would go on to win. We went to his office and said to Chamisa don’t challenge this court application. We told him we made a mistake by not holding an extraordinary congress as per our party constitution.”
Following the disputed congress, Mwonzora embraced Khupe, Komichi, and Mudzuri, and gave them influential party posts in a bid to unify the party.
-NewZimbabwe.com