Former MDC-T National Organising Secretary Abednico Bhebhe has rebuffed claims from the opposition party that he had been readmitted back into the movement after begging to be reinstated.
Last week, MDC- T released a statement after holding its virtual National Council meeting that it had readmitted Bhebhe and former Deputy Bulawayo province chairperson Dorcas Sibanda into the party.
“Notably, former National Organising Secretary, Abednico Bhebhe and former Deputy Chairperson of Bulawayo Province Dorcas Sibanda, were duly readmitted into the party as per their expression of interest,” claimed the party’s spokesperson Witness Dube in statement released after the meeting.
But in his own statement, Bhebhe refuted the claims and said he was uninterested in joining Douglas Mwonzora, whose leadership was “illegal.”
“I also learnt of the purported readmission through the press, it leaves me with no other option but to respond in kind. For the benefit of all, the cardinal rule for any readmission of an expelled member, as provided for in the party constitution is for that concerned member to make an appeal in the next congress. For the record, I did not appeal and had no intention whatsoever to appeal to the Extra-Ordinary Congress (EOC) because of its chaotic and shambolic nature,” he said.
Bhebhe argued that following his suspension and subsequent expulsion from the party last year, he challenged the decisions in the High Court including the holding of the EOC, a case he lost.
“The party constitution was flagrantly violated and Douglas Mwonzora’s leadership is disputed because of the serious irregularities that accompanied the shameful elections. Irregularities that could have been avoided particularly by those masquerading as democrats. Not only was the voters’ roll shambolic but there was no quorum for the EOC, which was characterised by violence among many other shortcomings,” he said.
He claimed his expulsion from MDC-T paved the way for other contestants to hold the EOC and deprived him of his administrative and constitutional rights while it gave “unfair advantage to Mwonzora to contest for the highest party office having eliminated the participation of the main challenger whose victory was beyond doubt.”
“My Constitutional rights were put under siege by the very National Council and I immediately lost the opportunity to contest for the presidency. What has changed now that I would renege on my pursuit of justice and submit to a rigged leadership? ” Bhebhe queried.
The former legislator said he does not recognise the outcome of the December EOC controversially won by Mwonzora.
“I want to make it categorically clear that I do not recognise the outcome of the December 27, 2020 EOC and hence the so-called National Council has no legal mandate to readmit me to what I do not even recognise. As far as I am concerned, the EOC elections were not conducted and hence the amendment of the Constitution illegitimate,” Bhebhe said.
“My position is that the party must sit down and elect an interim leader pending a proper EOC where every willing member is given a chance to vote or contest for the presidency,” he said.
Bhebhe was suspended from his position on October 29, last year.
On November 4, 2020 Bhebhe wrote to the party’s then Acting President Thokozani Khupe asking for the uplifting of the suspension citing some irregularities.
He was, however, allowed to remain an ordinary party card-carrying member and contested for the Bulawayo EOC provincial nomination before he was eventually expelled from the party over allegations of “grossly violating the Constitution of the party by supporting another political party other than the MDC-T.”
Bhebhe challenged this expulsion and this case is still pending in the court.
