Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi has defended the move by the party’s candidates to contest by-elections set for 03 February under the CCC banner.
Barely two days before the 09 December by-elections, CCC activist Sengezo Tshabangu, who claims to be the party’s interim secretary general, approached the High Court to bar the party’s MPs whom he recalled in October, from contesting as CCC candidates. The High Court ruled in his favour.
However, posting on X on Monday, Mkwananzi insisted that the High Court ruling has no effect because the party appealed against the judgement. Said Mkwananzi:
We are pleased to announce that our candidates have successfully filed to contest in the upcoming by-elections.
There is no doubt that we will romp to victory once again. This is because we already won those seats which the regime seeks to reverse using unorthodox means.
There is a misconstrued narrative that our candidates should have contested as independent because of the court order that barred 9 of our parliamentary candidates on the 9th of December 2023.
This is a false narrative. We appealed against that Judgement which we believe was grossly misdirected.
The effect of our appeal is that that order has been suspended pending the determination of our appeal by the Supreme Court.
We have appealed against all judgements that have been made thus far. The effect of our appeals is therefore that all the Judgements are of no effect. They have been suspended pending a determination of the Supreme Court.
We have written to ZEC reminding them of the official signatories seconded by the party in the August harmonised elections and advising them that there are no changes as to those signatories.
In the same vein, we have implored ZEC not to accept or be complicit in the unauthorised use of Nelson Chamisa’s face and our intention to sue anyone using or in complicit in the unauthorised use of our brand manuals.
To conclude, we reiterate that there’s only one CCC led by Nelson Chamisa which is the sole sponsor of CCC candidates in the August 2023 harmonised elections as well as in the controversial by-elections arising out of illegal and senseless recalls.
Meanwhile, some of the recalled MPs decided to contest as independent candidates. Former Chegutu West MP Admore Chivero, Oliver Mutasa, who was the Zvimba East lawmaker, and Willard Madzimbamuto (Seke) all filed nomination papers as independent candidates.
CCC has double candidates in the Pelandaba-Tshabalala Constituency (Gift Siziva and Moreblessing Tembo) as well as in Goromonzi South (Rueben Chikudo and Stephen Chatiza).
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