Tafadzwa Nyikadzino

MDC T acting Chairperson Morgen Komichi said the opposition party’s failure to hold primary elections for people to nominate their preferred candidate before the 2018 elections is the reason why they lost the seat to ZANU PF, and promised that such mistakes will not be allowed in the future.

Komichi said this yesterday while addressing mourners who were gathered at a funeral of the late wife of Clifford Nhambura in Domboshava. Nhambura is one of the two candidates who contested for the Goromonzi West Constituency Parliamentary seat in the 2018 elections under the MDC Alliance banner, together with Luke Tamborinyoka.

“We were supposed to have held primary elections to give people the opportunity to nominate their preferred candidate but the primaries were not allowed. That is the injustice and unfairness that was done on Clifford Nhambura,”

“The party did not allow them to hold primary elections but the outcomes of the elections shocked the party because Nhambura had more than 10 000 votes and the person who was being favoured by the party had 6 000,”.

“So those are the things we must not allow in the future. If we allowed people in the constituency to choose their own person without us getting involved as leaders we would have won that particular seat because if you add the results of Nhambura and Luke Tamborinyoka they will be far more than the results won by Mutodi, “said Komichi.

Komichi, who was the Chairperson of the party prior to the 2018 elections said he gave Nhambura and Tamborinyoka an order to go for primary elections to allow party supporters to choose their preferred candidate, but the order was reversed by party leaders who favoured Tamborinyoka.

“Do you know that Nhambura was supposed to be your M.P? The two men approached me, each person seeking to be selected as the party’s preferred candidate. I told them to go for primary elections to allow people to select who they want. But my order was reversed as those in leadership wanted Tamborinyoka to contest in the place of Nhambura” said Komichi.

He also vowed to fight to preserve the legacy of MDC T founder Morgen Tsvangirai through restoring the party to constitutionalism.

The funeral was attended by MDC T acting President Thokozani Khupe who delivered a short condolence speech, acting Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora and MDC Alliance Deputy Spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka.