By Pemphero Malimba:
UTM president Michael Usi failed Monday to present his nomination papers for the position of party president on the day initially set by the party as the final date for submissions.
The party is expected to hold its elective conference on November 17 in Mzuzu, although Usi has threatened to block it if several issues he has raised are not addressed.
As of the close of business Monday, Usi had not arrived at the party’s headquarters in Area 10, Lilongwe, where the nomination papers were being received.
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However, a source at the party’s head office confided in The Daily Times that the deadline for submitting nomination papers had been extended to November 10.
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“We have agreed to extend the period to November 10 to comply with the party constitution, which allows aspirants to submit their nomination papers seven days before the actual convention,” the source said.
It was unclear whether the decision was also a response to Usi’s concerns that the convention would not go ahead due to apparent violations of the party’s constitution.
Nevertheless, the source indicated that the decision was made to allow more individuals to submit their nomination papers.
“So far, we have received 25 nomination papers for various positions and we feel we should give people more time to deliver the papers,” the source added.
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By yesterday, the party’s secretariat had received nomination papers from four presidential candidates, excluding Usi.
Earlier Monday, UTM administrative secretary Augustine Mtendere said that the party had set 5pm as the deadline for receiving nomination papers.
Usi did not respond to our request for comment on when he would submit his nomination papers.
UTM spokesperson Felix Njawala was also unavailable for comment on the matter at the time of going to press.
Usi had previously threatened not to endorse the elective convention just two weeks before delegates are expected to convene to elect new leaders.
In his letter to UTM secretary general Patricia Kaliati, Usi expressed concern that preparations for the conference were not in line with the party’s constitution and that the process might be unlawful.
He requested what he described as immediate corrections to the processes and made it clear that he would not endorse or recognise any actions taken thus far due to their “unconstitutional nature”.
Among his concerns, Usi was unhappy with what he described as improper Central Committee meetings, which he claimed were conducted without following correct procedures or obtaining proper authorisations.
The UTM president was also dissatisfied with what he characterised as unauthorised individuals being added to the list of delegates eligible to vote at the party’s convention.
He further argued that a team purportedly preparing for and conducting the convention had not been provided with terms of reference or letters of engagement nor had they appeared before the National Executive Committee as requested in an email sent to the party.
“I have also noted that they have started working without all these critical things being done. You do understand that UTM constitution… makes provision of how an election for any organ of UTM ought to be conducted and, unfortunately, all what has happened so far is in violation of this provision,” Usi said.
UTM presidential aspirant Newton Kambala was the last presidential candidate to deliver his nomination papers.
Speaking after submitting the papers, Kambala charged that the party was not for sale and called on delegates to elect whom he termed visionary leaders at the convention.
“I have noted that some aspirants are offering money to people, including some members of my campaign team, who have been approached to switch from my team to theirs.
“This is because some believe they can bribe others to become leaders. This is why I am saying that this party is not for sale; it is for Malawians and Malawians must ensure they benefit from the party by speaking to the delegates to ensure they are aware that this party is not for sale,” he said.
So far, the presidential race indicates that Kaliati, former Reserve Bank of Malawi governor Dalitso Kabambe, engineer Mathews Mtumbuka and Kambala will compete for the presidency.
It remains unclear when Usi will present his papers and whether his party will comply with his demands that several issues should be addressed before he can endorse the elective conference.
