Jappie Mhango out of DPP expulsion case
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) treasurer general Jappie Mhango has withdrawn from a case in which he and three others were contesting their expulsion from the party.
The four sought court relief on the premise that the decision was made without hearing their side of the story.
The other three are DPP Southern Region vice president Kondwani Nankhumwa, secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey, Mulanje West lawmaker Yusuf Nthenda— all of whom were expelled from the party over what the DPP central committee called gross misconduct.
In a statement released Sunday, Mhango said he saw no point holding on to the court case when the party had rescinded its decision.
“Over this time, a number of developments have taken place, one of which was the rescission of the central committee’s decision that essentially reinstated each one of us back to our party positions. The decision was to be part of the reconciliation process,
“What has been bothering me is that, instead of moving on after the reinstatement, we have not moved to withdraw the case from the court, having been requested to do so,” he said.
In a telephone interview, Mhango said he believed that differences were inevitable and healthy in any organisation.
“In the spirit of party cohesion and in respect of the call by the party president [Peter Mutharika] that we all get together and pull in one direction for the betterment of the institution we all love, I have decided to withdraw from the case with immediate effect.
“While this may be viewed as betrayal by other quarters, I have been in constant discussions with the other members to withdraw the case,” he said.
Jeffrey said Mhango’s decision did not come as a surprise.
“Even if you go to the court, you will not find his sworn statements; he withdrew from the case a long time ago,” she said.
The case is expected to go back to court on February 15 2022.
Efforts to speak to DPP, through spokesperson Shadric Namalomba, proved futile Sunday.
Since losing the June 23 2020 presidential election, the DPP has been rocked in leadership wrangles.
