LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The High Court seating in the capital Lilongwe on Monday granted Dedza East Parliamentary aspirant Patrick Bandawe an injunction restraining Malawi Congress Party (MCP) from recognising seating lawmaker Juliana Lunguzi as winner of the disputed primary election s which took place in Dedza East.

This follows Bandawe’s lawsuit it has rendered to the court over the the decision MCP did by making u-turn after the latter (Bandawe) was declared winner of the Dedza East party primary elections before MCP reversed the decision and declared Lunguzi as the winner.

Bandawe threatened the party with a lawsuit if it does not adequately explain the reason for its decision.

The aspirant accused the MCP of taking a partisan stand after it made a decision based on only one side of the story as it has not heard his side.

“Why has the party made the decision based on only one side of the story? While they have listened to Hon. Lunguzi’s version of events, the party has not yet made an attempt to hear me out. As I issue this press statement, on Monday 4pm, the party has made no effort to reach out to me. What kind of justice is this?

“If the party felt there were irregularities during the polls, the option was to declare the elections null and void and order a re-run. What prophetic basis is the MCP using to determine that Hon. Lunguzi would have won had the 31 areas had taken part in the election,” he said.

Bandawe also disputed the party’s claim that he benefited from the delegates after one candidate, upon realising that he was losing, asked his delegates to vote for the other candidates.

“It is indeed true that some of those delegates joined my queue. But some of them also joined Hon Lunguzi’s queue. So why is the party only punishing me,” he added.

“I need clarification from MCP Headquarters why they rejected the results by a Presiding Officer who it sent all the way from Lilongwe to conduct the elections. Does this not defeat the ends of both democracy and justice?

“I request the party to provide me with an explanation within the next 24 hours about how it decided to declare Hon. Lunguzi as winner of the elections despite results of the vote, as confirmed at the constituency level and by the Presiding Officer who was duly assigned and trusted by the party HQ. I will be forced to seek legal redress if the party does not address this matter, especially in view of the fact that the party seemed to have settled on the winner long before the elections and it is determined to ensure this dream is not disrupted.”reads part of the statement Bandawe issued before the Monday (today, January 7, 2019) injunction.