DPP fires its secretary general Grelzeder Jeffrey for ‘unilaterally” calling for party’s national governing council meeting

Grelzeder Jeffrey (left)

* Found guilty of two counts of misconduct contrary to article 6(1) (v) and (vii) of the DDP constitution

* The DPP is taking all necessary steps to conduct its national political conference

* In accordance with the DPP Constitution as ordered by High Court of Malawi

By Duncan Mlanjira

The Democratic Progress Party (DPP) has fired its Secretary General, Grelzeder Jeffrey for what it describes as “unilaterally” calling for the party’s national governing council (NGC) meeting which she made at a press briefing at Golden Peacock.

A notice from the Party’s spokesperson, Shadrick Namalomba — dated December 1 — says this follows a decision by the Central Executive Committee which found her guilty of two counts of misconduct contrary to article 6(1) (v) and (vii) of the DDP constitution.

Namalomba also issued another statement saying the DPP “is taking all necessary steps to conduct its national political conference in accordance with the DPP Constitution” as ordered by High Court of Malawi.

On September 29, 2023, the High Court nullified the resolutions of the Party’s NGC meeting held on July 3, 2023 and ordered for its elective convention within 90 days but Namalomba argues in his statement that Jeffrey’s conduct at her press briefing “is merely intended to cause panic and confusion in the Party”.

He maintained that the is fully aware of the judgement of the High Court and that Jeffrey is one of the claimants in that and “as such she is conflicted for her to unilaterally call for the meeting of the NGC”.

“The High Court ordered and directed that the DPP should hold a properly constituted NGC meeting and an elective national political conference,” writes Namalomba. “Under Article 10 (13) of the DPP Constitution the meeting of the NGC shall be called by the Secretary General in consultation with the [Party] president [Perter Mutharika].”

Namalomba further says Jeffrey never consulted the president to call for the NGC meeting despite telling the Party followers that she has been in touch with Mutharika “on matters of the DPP”.

Thus Namalomba maintains that Jeffrey “has no powers to unilaterally call for a meeting of the NGC” and that she attended a meeting of the central committee on September 30, 2023 where it was “resolved to appeal to the Supreme Court of Malawi and to apply for a stay of this judgement pending appeal”.

“The DPP duly appealed to the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal and also applied for a stay of the High Court judgment,” says Namalomba.

He added that while pursuing its appeal several party officials were condemned adversely affected by the High Court judgment have now applied to join the appeal after the High Court has allowed them to join the case and apply to set aside the judgment of the High Court.

“In view of this development, the High Court has adjourned all applications, including an application by the Claimants for an enforcement order, until the High Court determines the application by the interested parties to set aside the judgment.”

Furthermore, Namalomba says terms of office of its regional, district and constituency committees, “who constitute delegates to the national political conference, expired”.

“Furthermore, the recent the new Constituency Boundaries across the country have affected the political structures of the DPP. In view of this fact, the DPP has to first conduct elections of its regional, district and constituency committees, before calling for a national political conference.”

Thus, says Namalomba that “the DPP does not have political structures from which it can draw its delegates to the national political conference” and he appeals to all NGC members and Party followers to ignore Jeffrey’s “unprocedural call” for an NGC meeting until the DPP “follows all processes leading to the NGC meeting and the national political conference convened in accordance with the DPP constitution”.

Last month, Party members, Fredrick Billy Malata (deputy director of political affairs & AGC member); Ken Chitatata Msonda (NGC member and Thomas Joe Nyirongo (deputy director of operations and also NGC member) took the DPP and Mutharika to the High Court declaring that Mutharika “is no longer fit to continue” as the Party’s president.

They contended that Mutharika should “cease to perform any duties” of the office of the DPP and there was also a declaration in the application that he is “not eligible to contest as a presidential candidate for the [DPP] at the upcoming national political conference”.

Another order being asked was that an interim party president be appointed by the DPP’s Central Committee or from the members who have shown interest to contest as leader of the party — namely Prophet David Mbewe; Joseph Mwanamveka; Bright Msaka, Dalitso Kabambe; Paul Gadama and Kondwani Nankhumwa.

A sworn statement by the applicants’ legal counsel, Gladwell Majekete said Mutharika was elected DPP president at a national party conference in 2013 in accordance with the provision of the party constitution.

His term of office expired after five years (in 2018) but he continued to hold elections until new office bearers were to be elected at the national political conference following his intention to run for Presidency of the Republic of Malawi in 2019 and 2020 in accordance with the party’s constitution.

The three applicants contend that Mutharika has within the past three years conducted DPP’s business in total breach of the Party’s constitution such as:

* arranging and overseeing election of George Chaponda as Leader of Opposition in Parliament — replacing Nankhumwa — without following the Party’s constitution, a decision that was nullified by the High Court;

* arranging and overseeing a National Governing Council meeting held on July 3, 2023 at Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi with full knowledge that the meeting and the deliberations therein were irregular for breaching the Party’s constitution, non-compliant with Court Order dated May 5, 2022;

* arranging and overseeing the election of the party’s disciplinary committee contrary to the party’s constitution;

* Generally, acting in a manner that yields personal benefit for himself at the expense of constitutionalism and intra-party democracy by not taking steps to reverse the three irregularities until the Courts intervened despite full knowledge that the actions were contrary to the party’s constitution; and

* that Mutharika was motivated by the endorsements he personally got to be the Party’s presidential candidate as well as amassing support from the general membership of the party, thereby acting in conflict with the interest of the party as a whole.

Thus on these premises, the three — Fredrick Billy Malata, Ken Chitatata Msonda and Thomas Joe Nyirongo — believed that Mutharika was not fit to continue as DPP’s acting president and that the Party should convene the national political conference as ordered by the Court.

They also believed that Mutharika was not eligible to contest as party presidential candidate for the reason that he has already served two terms as DPP leader “by virtue of his presidential candidature for the Republic of Malawi”.

Further Mutharika was accused of failing “to uphold the constitution of the party thereby breaching intra-party democratic principles and that he has been acting in conflict of interest to the interest of the party in order to promote personal interest for his presidential candidature”.