Divisions continue to widen in the erstwhile governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) where senior National Governing Council (NGC) members are now distancing themselves from the endorsements for the party leader Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika (APM) as torchbearer for the 2025 presidential election.
DPP National Publicity Secretary and Mwanza Central parliamentarian, Nicholas Dausi, and other senior NGC members addressed journalists in Lilongwe on Thursday where they spoke against the purported endorsements for APM ahead of the elective conference slated for July 2 this year.
Dausi stated that the mandate of the current DPP office bearers ends on 2 July and that everyone has to contest at a convention if they are interested in retaining their respective positions.
He said endorsements are therefore not necessary at this time, arguing that this is the time for the party to start preparing for a convention where all presidential aspirants, including APM will contest if he is indeed interested in the position.
“While it is a constitutional right for members to vote, everyone has a candidate of his/ her choice. There’s no need to threaten each other,” said Dausi.
He challenged APM to declare his interest instead of hiding behind some party followers’ endorsements. He said it would not be good for the delegates to see his name on the list of candidates without him declaring his interest prior to the convention.
“We lost the election because there was something we did not do right, and this is the time the party was supposed to do soul searching, but alas nothing is happening only divisions because of endorsements and endorsements,” said Dausi, adding that there is a need to respect the constitution of the party.
His Mwanza West counterpart, Joyce Chitsulo, challenged DPP supporters to wake up from their slumber, observing that the party behaves as if it has no learned persons.
Chitsulo vowed that her constituency will not endorse anyone, let alone APM, until the day of the convention.
“People of Mwanza West didn’t endorse any presidential aspirant. We will do that at the convention,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chitipa South lawmaker Werani Chilenga has announced that the Northern Region bloc will rally behind Kondwani Nankhumwa at the convention.
