DPP official Fredrick Billy Malata stops his party’s National Governing Council meet

It certainly pours for the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which seems to be fighting endless battles in the courts thereby derailing plans it should be making in preparation for the 2025 tripartite elections.

And just as the party was about to hold its National Governing Council meeting at Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi, the High Court in Lilongwe has stopped it from proceeding with the arrangement.

The meeting was called to appoint dates for the convention.

But the High Court judge Howard Pemba on Thursday granted an injunction to DPP’s Deputy Director of Political Affairs, Fredrick Billy Malata, stopping the party from holding the NGC meeting.

Malata, in his sworn statement, argues that the people who are being invited to attend are more than the people recognised under the DPP constitution to be members of the NGC.

And based on these, Pemba restrained the party’s secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey, it’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba and the DPP from holding the NGC until further order of the court.

Malata’s lawyer Wapona Kita described the matter as an important constitutional matter within the DPP party politburo because it will in the end determine when and who is supposed to attend and vote at the DPP convention.