Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa has branded the upcoming by-elections as a ‘crime’ adding that his party will not be participating in the polls.
Chamisa, who was speaking in an interview with Sources News Media Agency, said the by-elections were created and contrived unlawfully.
Recently President Emmerson Mnangagwa set aside December 9 as the day for the by-election following the vacancies announced by the Speaker of Parliament after CCC ‘interim secretary general’ Sengezo Tshabangu recalled 15 legislators.
The CCC leader has however dismissed Tshabangu as an impostor while maintaining that the opposition party has no such position.
Tshabangu, on Monday, wrote to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) advising that only himself and two others, Jabulani Ncube and Mbuso Sisa will be the ones signing for candidates in the by-election, a move that Chamisa has again dismissed.
“Tshabangu is not a CCC member. He belongs elsewhere; he’s being imposed on the CCC to particularly achieve certain ends,” said Chamisa.
“Why is Zanu PF doing this, they know that we defeated them in the election. They want us to focus internally and not focus on the issue. They want us to take our eyes off the need for a proper election and focus on these stupid and useless by-elections that are created and contrived unlawfully, criminally and unconstitutionally.”
Asked if CCC will participate, Chamisa said: “We will not waste our time on unconstitutional things.”
“The fact that you have a Speaker who chooses to act not just in error or on the basis of a mistake but on the basis of a crime, a ZEC that chooses to act on the basis of a crime and a ‘president’ who chooses to act on the basis of a crime that makes it a criminal syndicate.
“Zimbabwe has become a big crime scene. Well, we should not waste time on unconstitutional acts on criminal acts we don’t participate in crime.”
Chamisa argued that the skirmishes around the Secretary General post and the recalls were meant to divert the nation from the debate over the disputed elections.
“Everyone knows who CCC is they know it ZEC, the parliament speaker of parliament Mnangagwa they all know who Triple C is they all know who is who in the CCC but they choose to be dishonest mendacious and malicious what do they do they create a tortoise on a lamp post.
“For what reason, because they want to deflect what they know is the legitimate cry by Zimbabweans that they need the result of the election to be respected. We won the elections on the 23rd of August.
“We are not interested in side shows, the main show the grand show, is the issue of having a proper government, a proper election a legitimate government in Zimbabwe.
“That is the issue, all these other things are side shows and you know as you look at us, do we look like characters that would participate in a muppet show,” said Chamisa.
Source: NewZimbabwe