Some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators have faulted endorsements of former president Peter Mutharika to lead the party in the 2025 Tripartite Elections as unconstitutional and have since demanded a convention to elect leaders.

During a press conference in Lilongwe yesterday, Mwanza Central parliamentarian Nicholas Dausi, who led about 16 other legislators, insisted that it is only through a convention that the party can elect its presidential candidate for the 2025 elections.

Dausi, who addressed the briefing in his capacity as DPP national publicity secretary, said it is important that the convention takes place before the expiry of the national governing council (NGC) tenure in July this year.

He said: “Mutharika has actually, without imposing himself, been advocating that the party must choose a very competent person who can transform this country to represent it in the coming elections.

Dausi (L): Mutharika must come in the open

“In any case, the mandate of the national governing council ends in July, so we must go to the convention before July, if we are to follow our constitution.”

The reaction follows endorsements of Mutharika by sections of regional committees in the North, Centre and South.

DPP vice-presidents Goodall Gondwe (North) and Zeria Chakale (Central) and regional governors Christopher Mzomera-Ngwira (North), David Kambalame (Centre) and Charles Mchacha (South) endorsed Mutharika to be the party’s torch-bearer in 2025 despite him not openly expressing an interest to stand.

Dausi said the endorsements risk dividing the party further, thereby weakening its strength as the main opposition party in Parliament.

Taking his turn, Chitipa South lawmaker Werani Chilenga declared that he and other DPP MPs from the Northern Region present at yesterday’s presser support Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa to lead the party in 2025.

He said: “It is okay to endorse anyone, but it was very wrong for some individuals to start saying that all of us from the North are endorsing Mutharika to become the party’s torch-bearer in the forthcoming elections.

“If they had invited us to discuss this issue, we would have told them outright that we are actually supporting Kondwani Nankhumwa.”

On his part, Mulanje West legislator Yusuf Nthenda, a lawyer by profession, said since 2020 the DPP has not had an NGC meeting to ensure that ideas are being sought to run the party.

Reading from Articles 8 and 10 of the DPP constitution, he called for the need to speed up the convention before the current positions expire in July.

Reads the articles in part: “Members of the National Governing Council shall be elected at the National Political Conference of the party for a period of five years and shall continue to hold office for a term up to the election of new office bearers, notwithstanding the expiry of their term of office.”

Meanwhile, some DPP presidential hopefuls have vowed to challenge Mutharika during the party’s convention while others have asked him to come out clearly and communicate his intentions on the matter.

On the other hand, political pundits feel that while Mutharika has the right to contest during any election, and those endorsing him too have such rights, they warn that Malawians are likely not to vote for him, and urge other candidates not to give up.

In an interview yesterday, Nankhumwa said he was ready to face whoever decides to compete at the convention.

He said: “At some point they stopped people from making endorsements, but today their people are doing the same. Endorsement is not a legal way of doing things, a party has a constitution and a convention must be held, we need it to take place at all cost.

“I have said this several times, regardless of whoever stands. I will be there, I will contest, that’s it!”

Another DPP hopeful Paul Gadama said he will also contest during the polls.

He said DPP has over 2 000 delegates, who are way too many than the few individuals making endorsements.

In an interview, Gadama said: “A regional governor or vice-president of the party carry one vote each. But we have regional, district and constituency members who bring more votes. I am not moved. I will challenge them at the convention and they will be surprised.”

He said the party needs to call for a convention by July 18 and not later than July 28 as per the constitution.

But Chiradzulu South legislator Joseph Mwanamvekha, who is also vying for the DPP presidency, sounded cautious, saying, the matter was internal and he will wait for Mutharika to make formal communication.

“Smooth discussions are supposed to take place within the party. In any case, if indeed our president wants to stand, he will communicate to us internally. We will wait for him to pronounce his stand,” he said.

Former Reserve Bank of Malawi governor Dalitso Kabambe, DPP vice-president for the Eastern Region Bright Msaka and United States-based space scientist Cedrick Ngalande are the other presidential hopefuls.

Commenting on the developments, University of Malawi associate professor of political science Boniface Dulani urged other candidates not to back down, wondering why some members were insisting on Mutharika who Malawians rejected during the 2020 fresh presidential polls.

He said: “This just shows inability to groom leadership. Mutharika served this country and at his age, you would think they will go for someone to take over. They need to learn from Malawi Congress Party because it suffered a lot due to infighting. 

But Mutharika’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba, while saying the former Malawi leader was still consulting, challenged other contestants to get endorsements if they can.

He said: “People go to the convention to affirm their endorsements. They should not pressurise Mutharika to come out now, they don’t have any moral standing to ask for that.

“That said, these endorsements are coming because they see Mutharika as the only hope for the country,” he said.

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