THE NATIONAL People’s Party (NPP) suffered a massive blow
yesterday as more than 50 national and provincial leaders from Mashonaland East
province dumped the outfit and joined MDC-T, claiming there was no hope for the
Joice Mujuru party.
Led by provincial chairperson, Taurayi Pasirayi, they said
they believed the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance was the only viable option
with a meaningful chance of winning elections later this year.
Some national executive members and standing committee
members were also part of the delegation that defected and presented itself to
MDC-T leaders at Harvest House yesterday.
Chamisa, exuding confidence, said they had hoped to form a
grand coalition with Mujuru, but had failed.
“This is a very big event because MDC has never been strong
in Mashonaland East province since formation, but over the past few months, the
party has improved in that province, but that is not enough without the
strongholds in that province,” he said in his address to the former NPP
members.
“This is a significant development in the history of the
country, not only MDC-T, and what we want is something that unites people so
that we move together.
“We are happy that we have made inroads into Mashonaland
East. Our wish was that Mujuru was going to come on board in this great
movement in a grand coalition.”
Chamisa said his party was now permeating all spheres and
was ditching the tag that it was an urban party.
Chamisa expressed confidence that MDC-T was going to romp
to victory in the forthcoming elections, describing President Emmerson
Mnangagwa as a weaker candidate compared to his predecessor, Robert Mugabe.
The group, comprising of NPP national standing committee
members, said there was no going back on its decision.
“The major reason that has driven us to make this bold
decision is that we have differed fundamentally with the leadership of Joice
Mujuru on the way forward regarding the party’s joining of a true grand
coalition of progressive political formations.
“It is our considered view that the MDC Alliance is the
only platform that currently offers this once-in-a-generation opportunity to
dislodge Zanu PF from continuing to mismanage the affairs of the State and the
economy,” the former NPP members said in a statement. However, NPP
secretary-general Gift Nyandoro dismissed the “purported” defection as good
political riddance, derogatorily dismissing the party’s Mashonaland East
provincial chairperson, Taurayi Pasirayi.
“NPP is not going to lose sleep over a hullabaloo of a
political baboon, who mistook his failure to control drunken behaviour for
political progress.
“We are celebrating his purported defection as good
political riddance,” he said. Newsday
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