Despite being fired as the National Patriotic Front’s president, Retired Brigadier Ambrose Mutinhiri claims that he is not losing sleep over his expulsion as he is still the right interim president of the opposition front.
His response came a few hours after NPF’s spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire, who was in the company of the party’s National Chairperson Eunice Sandi Moyo, told journalists that they had parted ways with Mutinhiri over allegations of incompetence and insubordination.
However, Mutinhiri fired back saying he will not be expelled by unelected party members and he will hold consultative meetings which will usher in a new substantive leadership.
Mutinhiri claimed that he also had the backing of former President Robert Mugabe, whom Mawarire alleges also gave them his blessing to join the MDC Alliance.
“I consulted with the then president Mugabe who said to me ‘if you have the guts, go ahead.’ So myself and others, we decided to form the NPF, which I’m the founding president of and it is registered as such by ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission),” charged Mutinhiri.
He said, contrary to Mawarire and Sandi Moyo’s claims that the NPF is planning to join an Alliance, he, as the president of the party, is yet to make any decision with regards to that but he remains open for any negotiations.
He accused Mawarire and team of making decisions without consultation with people and blasted him for publicly declaring support for MDC Alliance Presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa during last Tuesday’s demonstration in Harare.
“As you might be aware, there have been alliances here and there, political parties are coming together with a view of winning the election and NPF is open to joining any of those alliance but we have not taken any move towards that.
“There are people who have gone out of their way to chant slogans of that parties, those have done it on their own and not on behalf of the NPF. Joining an alliance is not a decision that will be taken without consulting other people and towards that, have organized a national consultative committee meeting tomorrow which will see all people from all over our country come together with a view to consulting on all of these issues like (joining) the (MDC) Alliance,’ Mutinhiri said.
Earlier today, NPF spokesperson, Mawarire, told journalists in Harare that Mutinhiri had become toxic to the party and was against the idea of forming a coalition with the Nelson Chamisa led MDC Alliance.
“The meeting by the National Founding Executive Committee noted that the work is done so by the National Chairperson in the ongoing negotiations for the purposes of forming an electoral coalition pact be completed before Monday 11 June 2018 We also resolved that the party’s inaugural convention be held after the July 30 harmonised elections.
“The interim president, Rtd Brig Ambrose Mutinhiri is therefore recalled from his current position after he teamed up with a former cabinet Minister to hire thugs to disrupt an NFEC meeting at Margolis resort in Harare yesterday,” said Mawarire.
Mawarire accused Kasukuwere, who came back home after six months in self-imposed exile, of conniving with Mutinhiri to disrupt deliberation on the coalition talks.
The fights within the NPF is likely to dent the party’s preparations ahead of this year’s harmonised elections and should the party join the MDC Alliance, it will remain to be seen if the fights will affect Chamisa’s party.
