Innocent Mujeri

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader, Nelson Chamisa’s decision to forgo elective congress has caused disgruntlement within that party as some members believe that the decision borders on dictatorship.

 A source who spoke to this publication said that last week, Chamisa’s blue-eyed boy, Gift Ostallos Siziba announced that CCC had no intentions to go for an elective congress and added that it would continue with the current order.

According to the source, Siziba’s statement irked some party members who argued that CCC was supposed to go for an elective congress to elect substantive leaders.

“Some members were not happy with the decision not to go for a congress. If we are a democratic party as we claim, we should go for an elective congress and afford the people a chance to elect their preferred leaders. This issue of not holding a congress is undemocratic and unconstitutional,” said the source.

The source added that Chamisa appeared to have a phobia for elections as the split in the MDC T was caused by him after he refused to go for an elective congress.

“It seems Chamisa doesn’t want elections. It’s as if he is not confident of retaining the CCC presidency in the event an elective congress is held. He prefers an appointed leadership as opposed to an elected leadership,” added the source.

According to the source, interim CCC members such as, co vice president Tendai Biti and interim deputy national chairperson Job Sikhala were in support of a congress while the youthful members of that party were against the idea of a congress.

The source further said that without an elective congress, CCC remains a collection of friends deploying each other into positions. As such, they would be handicapped to challenge Zanu PF on any issue to do with democracy and procedure.

Meanwhile, exiled former minister, Professor Jonathan Moyo challenged CCC to hold an elective congress as this was according to the dictates of the country’s supreme law.

“The CCC is saying no vacancies and no congress of any kind. CIO (Central Intelligence Organisation) wants to infiltrate us; maybe a people’s convention, get the nomenclature right. But a citizen’s convention is a better nomenclature. Wait, CIO can only infiltrate a congress; not a convention since it’s American, right,” Moyo tweeted.

Efforts to get a comment from CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere were futile as her mobile phones were not reachable.