Attempts by Pan African Parliament 2nd Vice President Dr Ahebiri Gayo from Ethiopia to effect a coup on President Chief Fortune Charumbira during his absence on elections in Zimbabwe suffered a still birth.
Gayo was left with an egg on his face after he failed to get the support that he wanted to topple the legitimately elected PAP President Chief Charumbira.
The second Vice President who never hid his hatred of Chief Charumbira and PAP reforms from 2022 wanted to subvert the rules and procedures of the Bureau to eject the incumbent who had gone back home for the harmonised elections where he was elected into Senate sworn in last Thursday.
When he left for Harare, Charumbira appointed the 3rd Vice President Lucia Maria Mendes Goncalves Dos Passos as the acting President.
He appointed the 3rd Vice President to act as President because the first and second vice presidents had acted before and it was her turn to do so according to PAP rules and regulations which govern the operations of the Bureau.
On August 23 Gayo invaded the PAP premise and gained entry into the President’s office and removed pictures and started addressing staff, telling them that he had taken over.
He is said to have also hired some thugs to bar certain staff that was not towing his line from gaining entry to their offices.
He also went on to put his pictures on the PAP building claiming to be the acting president and inviting Press telling them that he had taken over the presidency ahead of the first Vice President.
With the financial support from billionaire mining magnet, Bridget Motsepe he managed to get support of some southern caucus parliamentarians and appointed some staff at PAP.
Gayo went on to divide the southern caucus but the bureau director did not accept the changes that he instituted in the process.
He started all these shenanigans in 2022 when he vehemently opposed the rotational presidency as per the adopted rules and procedures of the PAP.
The northern caucus threw its weight behind President Chief Charumbira and wrote a damning letter to Gayo condemning his illegal moves meant to divide the august house and cause chaos.
The letter was copied to the Clerk pf Parliament, Lindiwe Khumalo and all regional caucus chairs among others.
“Without mincing words, I wish to place on record, that my Caucus condemns in the strongest possible terms, your shameless attempt to unprocedurally usurp the power of the Bureau and the Plenary Assembly.
“You issued directives to the Secretariat that violate the PAP Protocol and the Rules of Procedure by purporting to set aside, decisions taken by the Plenary Session during the Second Ordinary Session of PAP in May, 2023.
Pursuant to the Modalities for the election of the members of the Bureau of PAP issued by the Office of the Legal Counsel, African Union Commission (OLC) as directed by the Executive Council, the position of the First Vice President of PAP was zoned to the Northern Caucus of the Parliament.
For the record, the Northern Caucus consists of seven countries, namely: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sahrawi Arab Republic and Mauritania.
You are not from any of the above seven countries in the Northern Region but from Ethiopia in the Eastern Region. This makes you a meddlesome interloper and a busybody.
“May I remind you that by directing that the position of First Vice President be declared vacant, you are undermining the Northern Caucus which deemed appropriate to allow Hon Prof Massouda to resume her seat as First Vice President and represent our interests in the Bureau,” read the letter signed by Azzedine Abdelmadjid, chairperson of North Africa Caucus dated August 29, 2023.
Dos Passos felt Gayo acted in the manner that he did because he took advantage of her gender as well as that of the Clerk of Parliament and requested for host country’s intervention.
“I cannot help but feel that Hon. Dr. Gayo is abusing me and the Clerk of Parliament because of our gender. Clearly, he would not be behaving in the same manner if we were male colleagues.
“This is unacceptable and very unfortunate at a time when the struggle for gender equality has gained increased impetus not just within the continent but all over the world.
“It is my prayer that as the host country, you will not allow this discriminatory behaviour to continue with impunity.
“If he is the Acting President as he so claims, he should show you the memo designating him to act as such,” wrote Lucia Maria Mendes Goncalves Dos Passos 3RD Vice President and Acting President of the Pan-African Parliament to Dr. Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa.
“The AUC must not entertain the attempt by Hon. Dr. Gayo and his team to reverse the amendment of the PAP Rules of Procedure.
“Notwithstanding the fact that the AUC, or any other Organ for that matter, has no jurisdiction to review the PAP Rules of Procedure, the amendment process followed due process, involved the office of the AU Legal Counsel, and the Rules conform with the PAP Protocol and were unanimously adopted by the Plenary Assembly.
“Allegations that the amended Rules of Procedure violate the PAP Protocol are nothing more than a smokescreen to disguise the real intention of removing the principle of rotation from the Rules and paving the way for Hon. Dr. Gayo to contest for the Presidency,” wrote PAP President Chief Charumbira to Moussa Faki Mahamat, AUC Chairperson Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, AUC Deputy Chairperson Dr. Guy Fleury Ntwari and Legal Counsel Mme Lindiwe Khumalo, Clerk of the Pan African Parliament.
It is not also true that PAP President is facing rape allegations in Zimbabwe as he was never reported anywhere for rape according to the Police.
Source Bulawayo24
