By Vincent Gunde
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Dust is settling down in opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) where the two camps of Kondwani Nankhumwa and George Chaponda have been contesting in court through injunctions against injunctions on who is the legitimate Leader of Opposition in Malawi Parliament.
Former President and DPP leader Peter Mutharika settled for Chaponda as Leader of Opposition and which forced Nankhumwa to seek a court injunction for the court to decide on the position he is holding in Parliament.
Consequently, the two DPP camps have been seen holding parallel rallies in Lilongwe and Blantyre dividing DPP supporters forcing supporters to make an independent decision that Mutharika should stand for 2025 presidential elections for squabbles in the party to rest in peace.
Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda presided over the talks between the two DPP camps sitting at the Lilongwe High Court on Friday, September 23, 2022 which was also attended by other DPP Parliamentarians including Chaponda, Nankhumwa, Nicholas Dausi and others.
In the talks, the party conceded to have made an error in appointing Chaponda as Leader of Opposition and not recognizing other DPP members who were in the Nankhumwa camp treating them as enemies of the mighty DPP.
In a press statement, 2022 DPP Presidential Spokesperson Shadrick Namalomba informed party members that the case of Leader of Opposition has been concluded through mediation by the court witnessed by the party’s Director of Legal Affairs, Charles Mhango.
Namalomba said the DPP has offered to withdraw the name of Chaponda as Leader of Opposition until the fresh elections of the Leader of Opposition is held.
He therefore also asked the court to direct them to the period within which to hold the fresh elections but the Claimants refused to involve the court in internal party affairs.
“So, we left it to the party to decide when to hold fresh elections for the Leader of Opposition in Parliament,” reads the statement in part.
He said Nankhumwa will hold the position of the Leader of Opposition until fresh elections are held involving all DPP Members of Parliament saying the party leadership will advise on the date and venue for the elections.
