by Innocent Mujeri

The MDC-Alliance has reportedly resolved to back Engineer Elias Mudzuri to contest for the presidency at the MDC-T extra ordinary congress to be held next month.

A source within the MDC-Alliance revealed that initially, that party had settled for the former MDC-T Organizing Secretary, Abednico Bhebhe, to contest for the presidency. However, Bhebhe was recently expelled for “grossly violating the constitution by supporting another political party other than the MDC-T.”

“The National Standing Committee had initially agreed that Bhebhe was a better devil to support for the MDC-T presidency. However, Bhebhe’s recent expulsion from the MDC-T has dealt the MDC-Alliance a big blow as they had hoped that Bhebhe would win the elections and later join hands with us (MDC-Alliance).The party has now come up with plan B of supporting Mudzuri for the MDC-T presidency,” said the source.

He further said that the MDC-Alliance had tasked that party’s deputy president, Tendai Biti, to sweet talk Mudzuri, so that he can agree to their proposal to stand for the presidency with the support of MDC-Alliance and later step down for Chamisa in the event that he win the elections.

“The party has tasked vice president Biti to speak to Mudzuri so that he can contest for the presidency at their congress and later step down for Chamisa after winning the elections. Biti is to be helped in this task by Dewa Mavhinga, who is believed to be a friend of Mudzuri. It will be easy for Mudzuri since Bhebhe has done the ground work already. He has manipulated a sizeable list of members in the 2014 MDC-T structures. It’s a matter of switching candidates,” added the source.

However, an insider from the MDC-T told this publication that the party was now aware of machinations by the MDC-Alliance and has told their members to be wary of infiltration by the same.

“The party (MDC-T) leadership is now aware that the MDC-Alliance is planning to infiltrate it and they have since told members to be vigilant and report all cases of infiltration to the party leadership,” said the insider.

He said that it was highly likely that only the acting president Thokozani Khupe and Douglas Mwonzora would contest for the presidency at the congress as the party moves in to mitigate confusion and infiltration.

The MDC-Alliance and MDC-T have been at each other’s necks since March this year, when the Supreme Court ruled that Chamisa was an illegitimate leader and should rescind his position for Khupe pending the holding of an extraordinary congress to elect a substantive leader to replace the late Morgan Tsvangirai.