Basing on the party’s constitution the absence of a confirmation of the treasury general at the convention meant that the post was vacant and elections needed to be done within seven days.

Section 15(b) of the NPP constitution states that the election of president, two vice presidents, chairperson, secretary-general and treasurer-general shall be done within seven days of proclamation of the convention and should be confirmed at the convention.

That has not happened up to today leading to speculations that Mujuru is seeking to move out Mubaiwa and replace him with a person of another tribal origin so as to appease some restive elements within her part.

Speaking to a local publication the NPP spokesperson Gift Nyandoro expressed ignorance about contentions over the post.

“Confirmation is a process that is an end product of an electoral process that is dealt with by the party elections directorate. But such allegations of breach of the constitution have not been brought to my attention,” he said.

However Mubaiwa is believed to have written to Mujuru expressing his shock at the move to sideline him from the post.

“President, it was never clear to most people, including myself, that a contestable post, it was just for the Matabeleland region … it is my humble submission that this reservation should not have applied as it must never apply to contested posts in the first place in any democracy,” he wrote.

Mujuru’s party has been facing strong headwinds even after splitting ways with founding members Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa with resignations of top members coming regularly.

Its inaugural spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire resigned from his post in April after an altercation with then Mujuru’s spokesperson Gift Nyandoro.

Bulawayo spokesperson Geneva Sibanda also reportedly stepped down citing other pressing personal commitments.

Besides these many other members have left the party with some joining Tendai Biti’s PDP or Tsvangirai’s MDC-T.