By Duncan Mlanjira
The High Court sitting in Lilongwe has granted an injunction stopping the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President, Peter Mutharika from effecting the dismissal of four members of the party’s top members — vice-president for the South, Kondwani Nankhumwa; secretary general, Grelzeder Jeffrey; treasurer general Jappie Mhango and Member of Parliament for Mulanje West, Yusuf Nthenda.
The injunction was granted by the High Court on Saturday, October 3 — a day after their dismissal letters were released and the Court says if the order is disobeyed, the party may be found guilty of contempt of court and may be sent to prison or fined or its asset seized.
The order is that the DPP should refrain from implementing the decision expelling the four from the party and their respective positions and from proceeding with the intended election of Leader of the Opposition.
Better days, Mutharika with Jappie Mhango
The DPP is also ordered from recognizing and acknowledging the purported replacement of the three of the members’ posts as secretary general, vice-president South and treasurer general.
The DPP on Friday announced that Nankhumwa, who is Leader of the Opposition, has since been replaced by Joseph Mwamvekha as vice-president for the South; Jeffrey by Samuel Tembenu secretary general and Mhango by Nickson Masebo as treasurer general.
The development comes after Nankhumwa rebelled against Mutharika’s decision to replace him as Leader of the Opposition in favour of Francis Kasaila and when the DPP president went ahead to inform Speaker of Parliament on the position of Leader of the Opposition, Nthenda moved a point of order that what Mutharika was trying to do was against Standing Orders.
Leader of the Opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa
Nthenda reminded the House that Mutharika does not have powers to elect who to be a Leader of Opposition but rather the DPP MPs who do so.
Nthenda had disclosed that the DPP MPs did not sit down to nominate the members that should be considered for appointed as Leader of Opposition as per Parliamentary Standing Orders.
The Orders say that whenever it is necessary for the Assembly to elect Leader of Opposition, whether after a general election or when a vacancy in that office has occurred in any other way, the procedure for election shall be provided.
Fired DPP’s secretary general, Greselder Jeffrey
Following the arguments presented by Nthenda, the Deputy Speaker deferred Mutharika’s decision communication and that the Leader of the Opposition remains Nankhumwa.
The Deputy Speaker asked the DPP MPs to go back to their drawing table and come up with a name.
Meanwhile, the election of the Leader of the Opposition went ahead and Nankhumwa emerged the winner.
DPP founders
Nankhumwa had a strong backing of a majority of the DPP MPs, led by Jeffrey, Mhango and Nthenda.
On Thursday, Jeffrey — as DPP’s secretary general— issued a communication inviting the party’s National Governing Council (NGC) to a meeting scheduled for Saturday, October 3 at Capital City Motel in Lilongwe.
The agenda was to discuss the forthcoming by-elections, post elections postmortem and any other business.
The party’s spokesperson, Brown Mpinganjira swiftly moved in to counter Jeffrey’s communication, saying the intended NGC meeting was not sanctioned nor called for either the Saturday one or any in the next few days.
Brown Mpinganjira
“The party has already announced plans to hold an NGC meeting after the Functional Review Committee has completed its task and presented its findings and recommendations to the Central Committee,” Mpinganjira said.
“The power to call for an NGC meeting does not lie in any particular individual, however high their station in life might be — rather such powers lie in the institutions of the party.”
He further announced that the party’s Central Committee, chaired by Mutharika normally determines when such a meeting should take place and from there the secretary general informs all NGC members of the planned meeting.
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“Any announcement of an NGC meeting that has not evolved from this process is merely aimed at sowing seeds of confusion among the rank and file of the party.
“The party would like to urge all its members and supporters to be vigilant against any attempts from any quarters to divide the party,” says the statement from Mpinganjira.
It seem it is not raining for the DPP but it is pouring because last week, Rev Mwai Kamuyambeni submitted his resignation notice as national director of operations as well as a member of DPP with immediate effect.
Kamuyambeni said in the resignation letter that having worked with the party in various other capacity it has indeed been a difficult step to take as he is indebted to the DPP family for the trust it accorded him as national director of operations.
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“It is an honour when one is called to serve and I have gained much knowledge and experience from my role, and most especially from His Excellency Professor Peter Mutharika.
“I would like to express my gratitude to His Excellency, each of you honourable members and the party as a whole for the honour that was rendered to me to serve.
“I believe there will be great opportunties to interact in the future and this is only a stepping stone to the new seasons ahead of us all,” Kamuyambeni said.
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