Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa could face resistance in Masvingo over candidates from his MDC Alliance partners as provincial chair James Gumbi told him at a rally at Nyika that they will not allow constituencies in Bikita to be contested by candidates from their partners.
“The Alliance document has a clause to the effect that the party most popular in a specific constituency will provide candidates. I made a declaration in front of the late Tsvangirai that some of the constituencies which we are emotionally connected to will not be challenged by our Alliance partners,” Gumbi said according to the Voice of the People radio.
“My request Mr president is that you negotiate with your Alliance partners to give us space so that we arrange our programmes and they do theirs. On the issue of sharing constituencies, our Alliance partners must realise that there are emotional interests on some seats like Bikita because some people were killed and tortured here.
“So I will (only) allow (some)one to contest in those constituencies that our people suffered over my dead body.”
Bikita East has been reserved for Jacob Ngarivhume’s Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) party.
Chamisa said the coming elections need all opposition parties to pool their resources together to beat the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.
“I listened to chairman Gumbi making a declaration. I listened to you saying it cannot be done but we say no because we have the vision of our late leader. President Tsvangirai told me to work with everyone and I will be Joshua,” he responded.
“Joshua doesn’t walk alone; he needs helpers. On that you don’t make a declaration. We are now giving you direction and it will not be contested because that is leadership and that’s direction.
“When we give you direction you follow, you don’t come and question why it has been done the way it is. We however, will consider the strongest candidate in each constituency.”
The MDC Alliance is made up of seven political parties.
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