The main opposition CCC has been hit by a wave of double candidates reportedly being fielded by Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube following a major fallout with party leader Nelson Chamisa which had led to their ouster from the candidate selection process.
Double candidates rocked the CCC predecessor, MDC Alliance, in 2018, resulting in loss of many constituencies and wards that were technically won by the opposition. Once again this double candidates issue undermines the party’s prospects of winning in some constituencies and wards in the 23 August general elections.
However the party spokesperson Fadzai Mahere yesterday said the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has given the 41 candidates who were “fraudulently” registered under the party for National Assembly and local authority elections 24 hours to withdraw their papers or they will be dragged to court.
Nevertheless Biti and Ncube have reportedly dismissed as having no force, value or effect an ultimatum by the Nelson Chamisa CCC party for their members to withdraw their candidature by end of business yesterday in constituencies where these were not endorsed by Nelson Chamisa.
According to insiders, the ultimatum comes as Biti and Ncube have accused Mr Chamisa of deferring a meeting scheduled for Monday to discuss the issue of double candidates.
CCC Bulawayo Provincial member Ernest Rafamoyo who lost to Ostalos Siziba in Phelandaba said the threats by Chamisa lack merit. He said Chamisa has no powers to order candidates to withdraw their candidature without consulting citizens since this is a citizens movement. Ernest Rafamoyo is a former national spokesperson for Welshman Ncube’s MDC Green.
“If the ultimatum is also referring to our official 12 candidates in Bulawayo, it has no value at all. We will only welcome a directive for our colleagues in the Chamisa group who were imposed to withdraw their candidature. That is what is welcome,” said Rafamoyo.
Rafamoyo said Mr Chamisa was avoiding a meeting to resolve the issue of double candidates. He also said they were never consulted in the candidate nomination process in Bulawayo and some of their candidates were rigged or disqualified which is why they had to field their canditates.
“He keeps saying he is busy. We were supposed to meet on Monday but he deferred the meeting to another day. He appears to be buying time,” said Rafamoyo.
Fadzayi Mahere however downplayed the issue of double candidates saying they were determined to sue the named 41 candidates if they don’t withdraw their candidature within 24hrs. “We filed objections against double candidates in terms of the procedure provided for under the Electoral Act.
We have received no response from ZEC,” Mahere said. “Consequently, we have noted an electoral appeal to the Electoral Court under EC3/2023 against the decision of the Nomination Court to accept the nomination forms of fraudulent double candidates whose forms carried forged signatures.”
