By Rungano Dzikira
MDC Alliance vice president, Tendai Biti has thrown party leader, Nelson Chamisa under the bus, with his presidential bid pronouncement for 2023, with or without the party’s backing.
In an interview with Capital FM, Biti cautiously declared his intend to run for presidency in the upcoming elections.
“If Zimbabweans see my capability, I will be asking for the job to be President in 2023 and not to be a mere activist in an opposition political party,” said Biti, during the vernacular radio talk show on Capital FM, this Saturday.
The MDC party, which has been on the brink of implosion since Thokozani Khupe won the case as the rightful leader of that party, will further face strain by this position which Biti has taken, as it places gullible Chamisa on tight ropes.
Biti went further to pour blame on Chamisa for allowing victory to elude them in 2018, a situation which has also necessitated this declaration.
“I still believe our victory was stolen in 2018 and we must correct and deal with ZEC. The electoral commission is captured by the State. We must start by the independence of commission if elections are to be free and fair,” he said.
Biti’s treacherous shenanigans have been in the pipeline for some time now, with him reportedly meeting with the US behind Chamisa’s back, with reports suggesting that he was becoming the preferred candidate ahead of Chamisa.
Only last week, Biti is reported to have leaked damning information to party supporters on Chamisa having been paid USD 2million by Queen Bee during run-up to elections in 2018, in an effort to soil him.
According to an inside source, close to the party presidium, “Biti said he has set his eyes on the country’s top seat and he would not be distracted by a section of individuals in the party plotting his downfall, and will be contesting for presidency with or without the MDC-A.”
Factionalism has characterised the party for some time now, with supporters alleging that calculative Biti had since created parallel structures in the party to topple Chamisa before 2023. Likewise this will not be the first time that the MDC has had to split as yester year speaks of MDC 1999 (Job Sikhala led), MDC Tsvangirai, MDC Ncube, MDC Mutambara, MDC Alliance.
