The depth of the cracks in the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) seem to have gone beyond any attempt of redemption or healing.
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This was confirmed on Friday when DPP adhoc spokesperson Shadric Namalomba ‘fired’ the party’s Secretary General, Grezelder Jeffrey, for conducting a press briefing where she announced dates for the National Governing Council (NGC) meeting in compliance with the High Court order.
The drama’s script started with Jeffrey addressing Malawians through a press briefing she held at the Golden Peacock Hotel in Lilongwe in the early hours of the day.
As SG, she is the Chief Executive Officer of the former governing ruling party.
In her statement at the presser, Jeffrey announced that the party would hold the National Governing Council (NGC) meeting on December 6, 2023, in compliance with the High Court determination, which ordered the party to hold the convention within 90 days.
She said she was doing everything in her capacity as the party CEO to get all the arrangements done within the court’s stipulated time frame.
But hardly had Malawians digested what the SG had communicated, Namalomba, despite having no elected position in the party as he is a merely appointed spokesperson, came out with fire blazing, disowning Jeffrey who was duly elected at the convention prior to the 2019 tripartite elections.
He alleged that whatever Jeffrey said at the press conference was intended to cause panic and confusion in the party.
“The DPP is fully aware of the judgment of the High Court of Malawi issued on 29th September 2023, nullifying the resolutions of the NGC meeting held on 3rd July 2023 and ordering the party to hold its elective convention within 90 days. The DPP wishes to inform its members that Honourable Grezelder Jeffrey is one of the claimants in the case in which the High Court made the above judgment as such she is the application by the interested parties to set aside the judgment,” reads a statement Namalomba wrote immediately after Jeffrey had conducted her press briefing.
He further said the terms of the party’s Regional, District and Constituency Committees, who constitute delegates to the National POLitical Conference, expired.
This implies that Jeffrey’s term as SG expired.
Namalomba said in view of this, DPP will have to conduct elections of its Regional, District and Constituency Committees before calling for a National Political Conference.
“In view of the above, the DPP does not have political structures from which it can draw its delegates to the National Political Conference,” he said.
Surprisingly, in his last paragraph, Namalomba still recognizes Jeffrey as the legitimate Secretary General.
“The DPP is therefore appealing to all its NGC members and followers to ignore the unprocedural call by the Secretary General for an NGC meeting and the National Political Conference convened in accordance with the DPP constitution,” thus he recognized Jeffrey.
