By Cathy Maulidi:
Disagreements have ensued in the erstwhile governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as the party’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba maintains that its leader Peter Mutharika is eligible to contest in the September 2025 presidential election.
However, the camp of DPP Southern Region vice president Kondwani Nankhumwa is claiming that the former president is not eligible to contest, citing provisions in the party’s constitution.
This is happening days after High Court Judge Simeon Mdeza ordered the party to hold a convention within 90 days.
In court, Nankhumwa argued that Mutharika cannot contest again since he already served his two terms.
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“The endorsements for Peter Mutharika at the National Governing Council meeting held at Nkopola lodge in July 2023 were a sham as they were being made for someone who already served two terms,” Nankhumwa says in court arguments.
But, in a statement released yesterday and signed by Namalomba, the party says Mutharika is eligible for re-election as per the constitution of the party which was adopted at an NGC meeting in 2018.
“The DPP is currently governed by its constitution adopted at the National Political Conference held in July 2018. Article 10(2) of the DPP constitution provides that members of the NGC shall be elected at the national political conference for a period of five years and shall continue to hold office until the election of new office bearers, notwithstanding the expiry of their term of office.
“Article 10(4) of the constitution provides that unless otherwise disqualified, a member of the NGC shall be eligible for re-election for more terms. To put matters straight, current members of NGC, including the president, are not disqualified from standing for re-election under the DPP constitution,” Namalomba says.
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When asked to comment on Namalomba’s statement, Nankhumwa referred The Daily Times to Nicholas Dausi, who, he said, speaks for the party and can comment on matters pertaining to the constitution.
“Talk to the DPP national publicity secretary Hon. Nicholas Dausi,” Nankhumwa said.
And in an interview, Dausi dismissed Namalomba’s statement, saying Mutharika is not eligible for re-election.
“I was the convention chairman in 2018. What Namalomba is saying is not true. Did the convention of 2018 say that Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika would be life president? The answer is no. There was no such thing at the 2018 convention, whose chairman was myself,” Dausi said.
“The president of the party Professor Peter Mutharika [and] the secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey must call for a central committee meeting and, secondly, the two must call for an NGC meeting strictly for those that were elected in 2018— the real delegates not just anyone else. At that meeting, the date, venue and convention committee should be made known; that is, if the party respects the rule of law,” Dausi added,
Meanwhile, political expert Ernest Thindwa has said what is happening in the DPP may have implications on peace sustenance.
“Unless current intra-party contestations are adequately addressed, I don’t see a peaceful process and credible outcome at the elective convention.
“The stakes for both antagonistic camps within the party are too high and heightening the risk of party factionalism, which may undermine the party’s chance to present a potent electoral bid in 2025. DPP would better be advised to respect the party’s constitution and allow democratic ideals to guide the process to identify the party’s torch bearer,” Thindwa said.
