By Bulawayo Correspondent

ZAPU president Dumiso Dabengwa says he strongly believes that the presidential elections were manipulated in favour of Zanu PF’s presidential candidate, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

According to results released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), Mnangagwa garnered 50, 8% against MDC Alliance Nelson Chamisa 44, and 3%.

In an interview with New Zimbabwe.com, Dabengwa said evidence at hand clearly shows that the presidential elections were rigged.

“My advice to the MDC Alliance and Chamisa in particular is that they should collect all the evidence and take the matter to court,” said Dabengwa.

“I think that the evidence they have makes it really apparent that something was not done properly and that the elections were not transparent, particularly on the presidential vote.”

Dabengwa said there were serious discrepancies between voters who voted in the presidential elections and those who voted in the parliamentary ballot.

“The suspicion arises mainly from the manner in which ZEC announced the results.

“In the first place, ZEC gave a figure of 72 % and 75% as the people who had cast their votes during the election.

“Then we got surprised when it comes to the announcement of the presidential election when they come up with a figure of plus 80% of the registered voters that had voted.

“One wonders where these extra figures come from.”

“When it comes to the presidential vote, we then conclude, some of us, that there must have been some manipulation of some nature in order to try and justify Mnangagwa’s victory.”

The former home affairs minister said he is confident that any competent court will be able to pick up the anomalies.

“I do not see how the courts will not be able to identify this discrepancy. 

“I do not see the courts saying this is what ZEC came up with and therefore people must swallow the result as it is.

“If ZEC cannot justify this anomaly then the presidential results cannot be accepted.”

Commenting on Zapu‘s poor showing in the elections, Dabengwa said the party did not have adequate campaign resources.

“Unlike Zanu PF and the MDC Alliance, we did not have resources to campaign. Most of our candidates were using their own resources to campaign,” he said.

Zapu participated in the parliamentary and council elections but decided to support Chamisa’s in the presidential ballot.