Political Reporter

Leader of the MDC Alliance, Nelson Chamisa plots to expose members of the rival camp during the forthcoming by-election, Harare Post can reveal.

A well placed insider said the plot involved delaying the sitting of the party’s National Council to deliberate on name changing until the nomination day, a move that will see the party going to the nomination with the contentious name (MDC Alliance) that will be subsequently rejected by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. This will force members of the rival camp to run as independent candidates in the by-elections and eventually lose.

“Although he does not say it openly, the president (Chamisa) does not want the party to participate in the by-election. His close confidants are aware of his position. The name contestation actually feeds into his plot. He wants to expose the Maruva cabal members that they rode on his popularity in 2018 elections,” said the insider.

He added: “He is not even willing to change the name of the party until 2023; as such he will delay the sitting of the National Council which has the mandate to give a final decision on the change of the party name. He will delay until nomination day. This will see us sticking to the contentious name which will obviously be rejected by ZEC.

“Once the name is rejected, candidates will have to run as independents. He believes they are going to lose which will cement his argument that they rode on his popularity in 2018,” said the insider.

Chamisa is always citing a Bible story on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

“The colt that Jesus rode into Jerusaleum thought the ululations and the red carpet was done and laid for it, not knowing it was just a collateral beneficiary. One day it entered Jerusalem alone and it was beaten and chased away. Without Jesus, the colt is nothing,” Chamisa reportedly said.

The insider said the youthful leader always told his confidants that the 26 March by-elections present an opportunity to show the Maruva cabal that a colt is nothing without Jesus, meaning without him they would lose the election.

Chamisa is also reportedly opposing the idea of retaining the recalled legislators and councillors as some of them are very unpopular with the electorate. He always cites the example of Murisi Zwizwai, former legislator for Harare Central, who is very unpopular in that constituency.

Most of the recalled legislators belong to the Maruva cabal, a faction that is fighting to topple Chamisa