By Tawanda Musariri

Party structures of the MDC in Gokwe are up in arms against party leader Nelson Chamisa accusing the youthful politician of grabbing power unconstitutionally.

Also on the query list of the Midlands South party structures, is how Chamisa spent campaign funds ahead of the crunch election which he went on to lose to President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zanu PF. Chamisa has not disclosed the trail of funds allocated to him for the 2018 elections.

Chamisa is said to have pocketed $350 000 of the $1.8 million allocated to the party from the political parties fund. Undisclosed amounts of money were also donated to the party by donors.

Chamisa climbed the echelons of the party through a unilateral appointment into the presidium by Morgan Tsvangirai during his ailing days. He went on to jettison Thokozani Khupe from the party leadership through a most violent campaign which threatened the life of the veteran Bulawayo politician. This led to the split of the party, with members and supporters splitting over the two leaders fighting for office.

Chamisa's stranglehold on power is threatening democracy in the party with Deputy President Morgan Komichi openly clashing with party Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora on whether or not Chamisa will be contested during the party congress due in three months.

While Mwonzora is consistently pronouncing that all party positions are open for all to contest, Komichi is fighting in Chamisa's corner which seeks to bar popular and interested candidates from contesting the presidency.  

According to the MDC constitution, all party positions are open for contest at every congress.

A meeting chaired by Kwekwe Central constituency losing candidate from the MDC Dadirai Mapfumo recently in Gokwe took a swipe at Chamisa, unanimously agreeing that Chamisa has to be censured to toe the party line in order to safeguard democracy in the party.

If the MDC has ever charted testy waters, February 2019 will be a litmus test for the party.