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Mr Japajapa was challenging incumbent Engineer Elias Mudzuri who is an MDC-T standing committee member.
All the party’s standing committee members are not being contested in primary elections along with other senior members who are close to party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.
The MDC-T standing committee, the party’s highest decision-making organ which is chaired by Mr Tsvangirai, is made up of 13 people among them national chairman Lovemore Moyo, secretary-general Tendai Biti and his deputy Tapiwa Mashakada, organising secretary Nelson Chamisa, women’s assembly chairperson Theresa Makone, and deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma who all qualified for the primaries unopposed.
Only Abednico Bhebhe who sits in the committee and is the MDC-T deputy organising secretary, is facing challenge from one Nomathemba Ndlovu probably because he initially went with the so-called Pro-Senate faction after the party’s acrimonious split of October 2005.
In cases where junior party members dared to challenge standing committee members, they were either disqualified or pushed to other constituencies which appears to be the case in Mr Japajapa’s case as his candidature was approved by his Warren Park district.
He was, however, disqualified for alleged close links with Zanu-PF and daring to challenge a senior member.
A letter dated May 22 signed by party secretary general Mr Tendai Biti asserted that Mr Japajapa’s appeal was reviewed by the party’s national leadership on May 20 and was turned down.
Mr Japajapa denied any links with Zanu-PF and averred that he is a fully paid card carrying member of the MDC-T since 1999.
He said it was surprising that some candidates were approved only on the basis of their affiliation to the party.
“To put the record straight I say this is all lies. I have been an MDC-T card carrying member for the past 13 years since the formation of the party in 1999 up to date.
“All my membership cards are fully paid up to date. For the national executive committee to disqualify me on those grounds is not fair.
“Surprisingly, the MDC-T party was recently dangling a carrot to even some former members who were expelled from the party, but they have got the temerity of disqualifying me on flimsy excuse.
“They said I am a Zanu-PF member, a mole and a suspected Central Intelligent Organisation member which I am not at all,” he said.
Mr Japajapa queried how former Zanu-PF Women’s League political commissar Tracy Mutinhiri and former disc jockeys James Maridadi and Eric Knight were accommodated yet they were not even party members.
He said the MDC-T national executive had no power to disqualify him after his candidature was approved by his Warren Park district.
“The district is the immediate organ that knows the way how I operate and the national executive has no justification whatsoever to disqualify me,” he said.
Mr Japajapa said he was now seeking audience with the MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai after failing get a positive response from Mr Biti.
He said he suspected that his strong belief in black empowerment which the MDC-T hated with a passion contributed to his disqualification.
Mr Japajapa accused another MDC-T aspirant in Mbare Mr Tichaona Munyanyi whom he said had close links with Eng Mudzuri of playing an active role in his disqualification.
Online Reporter