MDC-T interim organising secretary, Abednico Bhebhe has thrown his hat into the ring to contest for president in a party forthcoming extraordinary congress, bringing the number of candidates vying for the post to five.
The MDC-T is expected to hold its extraordinary congress next month to elect a new president to replace the late party founder Morgan Tsvangirai who died in February 2018.
Thokozani Khupe is the acting president and is also eyeing the post.
However, she is expected to get a stiff challenge from former Harare mayor Elias Mudzuri, interim secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, acting chairperson Morgen Komichi and Bhebhe.
The 2014 Bulawayo MDC-T provincial council last week nominated Bhebhe for the coveted post.
“Comrades, ladies and gentlemen, I humbly accept your nomination for the presidential candidature in our special extraordinary congress. As a loyal cadre of the movement and a committed democrat, I submit myself to any deployment that is chosen by you fellow comrades,” Bhebhe said while accepting the nomination.
“While this is a very important position in our glorious movement, the Movement for Democratic Change and the progressive people as a whole, it is a task that l accept fully conscious of the great tasks and obligations associated with it.”
Bhebhe, who was in charge of the party’s 2014 structures whose members will form delegates at the elective congress, promised to continue fighting for emancipation and better living conditions for Zimbabweans.
“Not only is the country at crossroads due to the unrelenting dictatorship and its penchant for economic self- destruction, but our great movement is in itself undergoing one of its trying times. I cannot claim to be your saviour, far from it, but what I promise is a fight till victory for the suffering masses. Victory means the defeat of the Zanu PF dictatorship and restoration of democracy under the guidance of the people’s party, the MDC,” he said.
Bhebhe assured his supporters he will not “sell out the struggle” for any monetary gains.
“As your servant, I will not succumb to the machinations and manipulation of Lucifer who wrongly believes that pieces of silver and repression could disintegrate the people’s project as founded by our dear leaders, Dr. Richard Morgan Tsvangirai and Gibson Jama Sibanda.
“Let the outcome of this special extraordinary congress be a warning sign to Zanu PF that the people’s democratic project shall neither retreat nor surrender,” the former Nkayi MP said.
He stressed that all the party’s 2014 structures are eligible to participate in the congress as ordered by the Supreme Court in March this year after it declared as null and void Nelson Chamisa’s leadership of the MDC-T. Chamisa now leads the MDC Alliance.
“The electoral college should be the 2014 structures of the provincial councils which are comprised of three wings of the province, chairperson, secretary, treasurer, organising secretary and information secretary of the districts, chairpersons of the youth and women of the districts and all ward chairpersons,” he told NewZimbabwe.com Sunday.
Bhebhe recently accused Khupe and other senior party officials including Mwonzora and Komichi of attempting to manipulate the election process by dumping some members who were in the 2014 MDC structures which the Supreme Court deemed were eligible to seek posts and vote at the congress. -New Zimbabwe
