Malawi: DPP Moves Towards Expelling Kondwani Nankhumwa From the Party

Barely a week after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Shadric Namalomba vowed that the party would take all the necessary measures to ensure Mulanje Central Constituency lawmaker, Kondwani Nankhumwa, and his sympathizers leave the party, DPP has summoned the Leader of Opposition to a disciplinary hearing, which may culminate into expulsion.

Apparently, Nankhumwa, Secretary General Greselder Jeffrey and Yusuf Nthenda challenged resolutions the party made at its recent National Governing Council (NGC) meeting at Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi where the cadres endorsed party president Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika to be the torchbearer in the 2025 presidential elections.

Nankhumwa and his legion of followers have openly accused the party leadership of being undemocratic and intolerant.

This did not please Namalomba who vowed that the APM camp would do everything possible to get rid of the anti-Mutharika.

"We will facilitate their leaving. And I wish to underline this: we will facilitate their exit from DPP because they are working in opposition to what the NGC members had agreed," he told Zodiak Broadcasting Station on Friday.

And true to his word, the party has now summoned Nankhumwa to a disciplinary hearing for alleged insubordination and disrespect to the party leadership.

Secretary to the Disciplinary Committee in DPP, Jean Mathanga, has written the party's vice president (South) notifying him about the hearing to take place on Wednesday this week.

"The Disciplinary Committee has received a complaint from the Deputy Secretary General regarding your conduct in contravention of the Constitution of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). You are hereby given notice of a disciplinary hearing against you to be conducted by the Disciplinary Committee ofthe Democratic Progressive Party at the Dream Village in Area 43 in Lilongwe, on Wednesday, the 2nd day of August, 2023 at 09:00 hours in the forenoon to answer the following charge against you," reads the letter in our possession.

According to the particulars of the charges, Nankhumwa, between 15th and 25 th July, 2023, conducted whistle stop tours in the Southern Region without seeking approval from the president to conduct such whistle stops and you thereby undermined the authority of the President of the Party and displayed disrespect to the leadership of the party.

"For the above reasons the Disciplinary Committee would like to hear your side of the story on the above issues under Article 15 (3) of the DPP Constitution before the Committee can make recommendations on the above issues to the Central Committee under Article 15 (4) of the DPP Constitution. TAKE NOTICE that if you fail to attend the Disciplinary Hearing without any justifiable reasons, the Committee has the power to make recommendations to the Central Committee for necessary sanctions including expulsion, suspension or censure. TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that if you mobilise your supporters to accompany you to the Disciplinary Hearing, the Committee has the power to make recommendations to the Central Committee for necessary sanctions including expulsion, suspension or censure," she stresses.

She warns that Nankhumwa risks expulsion, suspension or censure if he or his supporters do anything to disrupt the Disciplinary Hearing.

While Nankhumwa has confirmed receipt of the letter through the interviews he conducted with the daily papers, DPP leadership did not commit itself to own the missive.

This Article First Appeared on Nyasa Times

Photo: Nyasa Times