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Gibson Nyikadzino Correspondent
Events that have unfolded since Nelson Chamisa elbowed Thokozani Khupe out of the MDC T have made it explicit that the opposition leader has nothing to offer to the generality of Zimbabweans except kindergarten promises. In short, Chamisa must not confuse suicide with martyrdom.

Before the death of the MDC’s founding leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, it had been put on record that the opposition party was ideologically bankrupt. The MDC, before its splinters, survived on the “Mugabe Must Go” mantra. Now that Mugabe resigned last year, and he is gone never to come back, the basis of the opposition’s relevance has waned.

The lies that Chamisa is now peddling are evident that he is a man who is trembling and not brave to face reality. The reality is that politics in Zimbabwe are beyond the “Mugabe Must Go” mantra. Ugly scenes happening in the Chamisa-led MDC-T faction are a testimony that the centre is no longer holding. Disorganised primary elections, a “Youth Vanguard” commander Shakespear Mukoyi emptying the violence catalogue in the party, imposition of candidates and the insincerity of the lies towards the electorate are all tests that Chamisa is fighting.

His theory of politics is and always has been garbage. Within two weeks, the Nomination Court shall sit to receive nominations for the presidential election candidates. Chamisa is challenging the use of the MDC-T name and open palm logo by Thokozani Khupe. He has approached the Supreme Court challenging a ruling by High Court Judge Justice Francis Bere that Khupe, in the interim, can continue using the party’s name and logo. The young presidential aspirant is pressed from all ends.

It is difficult to feel sorry for Chamisa as he deserves all that is following him, the good, bad and the ugly. He committed suicide which he thought was martyrdom. He cannot be a martyr because his political mind has not been sustained by any worthy ideology. The concept of martyrdom is a key driver sustaining an ideology that is worth either fighting or dying for. Even opposition supporters are soon to remain constantly disheartened, disappointed and dejected when they see election results outweighing expectations they had on their candidate.

They are failing to separate wheat from the chaff! Chamisa’s followers are quickly turning into political hallelujah boys whose defence of their leader is clearly bordering on fanaticism and militancy by expounding “we do not care what manner of lies he says”.

With this blind fanaticism, the supporters are also unmindful that their 40-year-old leader has never liked the idea of holding elections, even after President Mnangagwa announced last year, that they were inevitable.

First, it is a known narrative that one does not change an army commander during a war. After the death of Tsvangirai, according to the 2014 MDC-T congress, Khupe was the next in command. Chamisa’s leadership was not “elected” by due process. In 2014, he lost the secretary-general’s contest to Douglas Mwonzora.

Addressing a handful of supporters during his United Kingdom visit last month, Chamisa said he thought President Mnangagwa was going to invite all political parties and chart a transitional trajectory to address a “national question”. Chamisa had seen an opportunity for a “power grab”.

Had it been that President Mnangagwa had resorted to what Chamisa had in mind, he would have been attacked for hoisting unconstitutionalism. What was done in November last year was constitutional, and there was no need for some to benefit without a fair process. Now that elections are on the horizon, any contestant can get his or her chance to articulate policies without any transitional mechanism as others wanted.

While Chamisa ascended to the MDC-T presidency by avoiding an election process, he “won” unduly. But these coming national elections are unavoidably parading the winner.

Chamisa is such an impatient, intolerant and bigoted leader who bypasses logic by implementing brawn instead of brain. If he had gone for the MDC-T congress after the death of Tsvangirai, perhaps he could have won if the numbers were on his side, hence keeping a united party under his new tenure.

Sacrificing your life for an empty cause or an empty belief as what Chamisa is doing is frankly, despicable. Whatever is happening in MDC-T is awkward. It is emptiness to think that suicide is martyrdom. Chamisa is “killing” himself, and no one will ever persecute him because he has nothing to fight for, defend or protect.