Jonathan Moyo tells Chamisa that 'facts are stubborn'

Former Zimbabwean minister and political analyst, Professor Jonathan Moyo, has raised questions about former opposition leader Nelson Chamisa's handling of the 2023 presidential election, suggesting that the opposition leader's claims of victory are not supported by concrete evidence.

Moyo's remarks were prompted by recent data shared by political commentator Freeman Chari, which Moyo says, although delayed and incomplete, corroborates the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's (ZEC) official results.

"The data from Freeman Chari, while coming out inexplicably late and incomplete, is neither surprising nor new," Moyo stated on social media.

"Tellingly, it vindicates ZEC and explains why Nelson Chamisa did not make public the V11s he claimed he had, which allegedly proved he won the 2023 presidential election."

Moyo pointed to a statement made by Chamisa in August 2023, where the opposition leader claimed to possess the V11 forms - a key piece of electoral evidence showing results at individual polling stations - but failed to produce them.

Chamisa declared at the time, "We reject this sham result and flawed process based on the disputed figures. We have our V11s. I have asked our teams to bring those V11s. I'm not so sure if they are here so that you can see them. We have brought V11s from across the whole country. And those V11s are going to be the basis of our assertion. We have won this election."

However, Moyo argues that Chamisa's failure to produce the V11s and subsequent decision not to challenge the election results in the Constitutional Court suggests he lacked the evidence to support his claims.

"Chamisa did not approach the ConCourt to challenge the 2023 presidential election result announced by ZEC. He did not have V11s to back up his claim," Moyo asserted.

Moyo further criticized the use of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Election Observation Mission (SEOM) report by Chamisa's supporters, suggesting it had been misused in place of the V11s that allegedly proved Chamisa's loss. He highlighted that election observation missions, as emphasized by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, do not have the capacity or authority to invalidate an election result.

Moyo also noted that most of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Members of Parliament elected in 2023 resisted pressure from Chamisa and his supporters to resign from Parliament in protest of the presidential election results.

"Except for two self-indulgent and wayward of their ranks, CCC MPs elected in 2023 resisted political pressure from Chamisa and his supporters to resign from Parliament in solidarity with Chamisa," Moyo said.

"They knew that, unlike him who had no V11s to back up his claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, they had won their constituency seats fair and square and had the V11s to prove their victories."

Moyo concluded by saying, "All told, 'rine manyanga hariputirwe': Facts are stubborn." His comments add another layer to the ongoing debate over the legitimacy of the 2023 election and Chamisa's role in it.