Own Correspondent|Reports just revived indicate MDC Acting President Engineer Elias Mudzuri and his backers ahead of congress are demanding that the party holds an extraordinary Congress as a matter of urgency and threatening to ensure the proposed 24 May Congress does not succeed.

“We, as bona fide MDC members, are demanding an extraordinary congress in line with the party constitution. Not the bogus May Congress published by the Chamisa cabal. It is a dictatorship and unconstitutional,” said the party’s official according to the reports.

“It is only the position of the president that needs to be filled, and we demand that Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora calls a extra-ordinary congress in line with the party constitution so that we fill the position of the president. That is the only vacancy that needs to be filled in the party at the moment,” the source said.

But Mwonzora, on his part, will not budge. If he calls for an extraordinary Congress, that would mean he stays in the same position he is now, as only the president would be contested.

Mwonzora is understood to be aiming for the presidency, and it suits him better if the party goes for the May Congress where all positions will be open for contests instead of an extraordinary Congress.

The Mudzuri camp has petitions going around canvassing for signatures to force Mwonzora to act and call for an extraordinary Congress.

The source continued: “It is the extraordinary congress that is due now, not the May one. There’s nowhere in the constitution where it calls for the May congress.

“We already have a petition circulating , with MDC members demanding the Secretary-General to call for an extraordinary Congress immediately. An urgent court application is on the way if Mwonzora refuses to act.”

The camp plans to hold a press conference mid-next week when they will have gathered enough signatures for their petition.

There is an online copy of the petition and the number of signatures building up. Another petition is going around on printed copies, the source said.

A second source linked to the same camp weighed in: “We have 100 signatures already. The MDC extraordinary Congress cannot be avoided; it is a constitutional requirement.

“All we need is approach the courts if the Secretary-General refuses to entertain our petition, and a simple reading of our party constitution will throw this Chamisa’s so-called May Congress into the litter bin.

“However, we have been trying to use internal processes as much as possible to settle this glaring error of omission and commission by our colleagues.”

“Listen Mwonzora is not bothered with the May Congress even though it’s illegal and unconstitutional because they are calling for an ordinary congress with all positions contested. If he calls for an extraordinary congress he won’t be able to contests because it is one position that will be available and as Secretary-General he is not able to contest.

“The structures are so angry with Mwonzora because he is showing that he likes power too much and he has no respect for the party constitution. The congress delegates feel betrayed by him.

“It’s both very interesting and shocking to note that Douglas Mwonzora has now come in full force preparing for the illegal Chamisa’s congress of 24 – 26 May. That squarely confirms some people everyday’s fears of having these lawyers as our leaders as a nation a total disaster. Lawyers in Zimbabwe are the same.”

The group warned Mwonzora against participating in the May Congress, as the terrain has been tilted to favour Nelson Chamisa. The camp further accuses ZANU-PF rejects of funding Chamisa in desperate bid to save Mugabe’s legacy, citing the massive support Chamisa now receives from former hardcore Mugabe apologists such as Jonathan Moyo as an indication that Chamisa was a Mugabe project.

“Instead of defending the Constitution, and Secretary-General of the party, Douglas Mwonzora thinks everything is now set for him to repeat a 2014 thumbing of Chamisa in the Secretary-General congress contest.

“What Mwonzora is failing to understand is that the whole terrain has changed and is presently pointing at Chamisa’s outstanding advantages. Facts now have it that Chamisa is receiving massive support from G40 who are using him to fight to reverse the November 2017 coup.

“Look at how Jonathan Moyo, Shadreck Mashayamombe, Jealousy Mawarire and Agrippa Bopela Masiyakurima are all now acting as if they are more MDC than all of us. They all hope to propel Chamisa to power so as to save Robert Mugabe’s legacy.”

Last week, the Chamisa camp, who last year announced the Congress would be held in October 2019 “in line with the Constitution as the last Congress had been held in October 2014,” suddenly made a u-turn and agreed for a May 2019 Congress.

While this looked like a climb-down by Chamisa, the Mudzuri camp thinks otherwise.

“Whilst the announcement of the illegal May congress may seem to be a climb-down by Chamisa who initially wanted an October one, the facts point to the contrary. If the Secretary-General chooses to abrogate the law and derelict his duty, history is not going to be lenient with him. So he needs to do the right thing and call for an extraordinary Congress now.

“Section 9.21.1 of the MDC Constitution should be Mwonzora’s guideline for now. As it stands now, Douglas Mwonzora and Nelson Chamisa are different sides of the same coin. The two are two faction leaders who are egocentric and enemies of constitutionalism.”

Party leader Nelson Chamisa is out of the country on a diplomatic offensive. He left Eng. Mudzuri, one of his deputies, as the acting president.

Efforts to get a comment from Mudzuri himself were not successful.