Former President Robert Mugabe’s nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, one of the kingpins behind the National Patriotic Front, has dangled cash to NPF leader Ambrose Mutinhiri to step down as one of the 23 presidential candidates in next month’s election and give way to Movement for Democratic Change Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa.
He said Mutinhiri must accept the reality that the two leading contenders in the coming elections are Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front leader Emmerson Mnangagwa and Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa.
To achieve the NPF goal of reversing the 15 November “coup”, it was essential to rally behind Chamisa.
“Sunungurayi vana mukuru,” Zhuwao said.
“Given this reality, allow me to conclude General by saying that the overall objective of reversing the coup cannot be achieved by denying Chamisa the NPF vote and handing a victory to Mnangagwa on a silver platter. The ‘next best’ way of reversing the coup is to support the candidature of Nelson Chamisa. By supporting Chamisa, it is possible to reverse the coup. That, General, is politics; that is the art of the possible, the attainable; the art of the next best.”
Zhuwao said Mutinhiri should step down because the NPF failed to get enough candidates for the coming elections. He was therefore finding it difficult to convince donors to sponsor the party.
“For any political party’s presidential bid to be credible, it must be supported by a full complement of 60 senatorial candidates, 210 candidates for constituency members of the National Assembly, 60 candidates for the women’s quota members of the National Assembly, 80 candidates for Provincial Council, and 1 958 candidates for local authority councilors,” Zhuwao said.
“Such a strong representation effectively means there would be someone campaigning in all parts of the country for that party’s presidential candidate.
“The results of the nomination courts on 14th June 2018 are not good for the NPF. NPF only managed to field candidates in 95 out of 210 constituencies covering 45% of the country; nominated 20 out of 60 senators to give a third; 15 of the possible 80 provincial councillors making it 18.75%; 14 of the 60 women’s quota to give 23.3%; and 78 out of the 1,958 councillors to make a paltry 3.98%.”
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