via Mujuru brother bid to become MP blocked – New Zimbabwe 20/01/2015
OUSTED VP Joice Mujuru’s brother Lloyd Mugari’s wish to replace his sister as MP for Mt Darwin West went up in smoke Tuesday as he was blocked from standing with the Zanu PF provincial electoral directorate ruling that he was ineligible.
Sources said despite pretenses that there was fairness Zanu PF provincial leaders are actually fronting Godfrey Tsenengamu, one of those who vigorously campaigned for Mujuru’s ouster, to be the next MP.
Mashonaland Central provincial chair, Dickson Mafios, said after their meeting as the provincial election directorate, Mugari was in no show to justify his bid and in the end, he was ruled out.
“We are done now, but Cde Mugari did not turn-up for the vetting process and we failed to understand whether he was still interested in the seat or not,” he said.
“We have recommended seven people to stand in the primary elections on
Saturday and from there, we expect to get the best candidate for the constituency,” Mafios said.
“Initially, we had 14 people who wanted to stand in the March by-elections but now we have seven because some of them failed to qualify to the set guidelines. Right now I have submitted the list of those who will contest and we now await the Election Day set for Saturday,” Mafios said.
Tsenengamu is also one of those who led the campaign against Mujuru as he was part of Grace Mugabe’s team which toured the country denouncing the former VP and her clique.
Mujuru hails from Mashonaland Central and was born to the Mugari family before getting married to Solomon Mujuru, the late former army commander and Lloyd is one her siblings.
Sources in the provincial structures said Mugari was blocked as they feared that he could easily win the seat and return it to his sister.
Insiders said Mujuru, who was fired from government and reduced to an
ordinary Zanu PF card carrying member, had sponsored at least six people to
replace her and all of them have been removed from the list.
“We can’t allow Mujuru to control the seat just like that, she had sponsored the candidature of six people or so but we managed to block all of them,” a source said.
Among those allowed to stand in the party’s primaries, according to Mafios, include, James Seremwa, Brian Seremwa, Kenneth Banda, and Kaleb Karimwe among others.
Besides the Mt Darwin West by-elections, Chirumanzu-Zibangwe is also set to hold its own internal polls to choose who replaces VP Emmerson Mnangagwa with his wife, Auxillia, leading the race to replace her husband.
Although two more people have shown their interest to be MP for the Midlands constituency thereby forcing an internal poll this weekend, Auxillia has an upper hand after the local chief, said he was throwing his weight behind her candidature.
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