Nankhumwa Accepts Supreme Court Ruling; Ponders DPP Future

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Member of Parliament for Mulanje Central Kondwani Nankhumwa says he will soon announce his political direction and strategy.

Nankhumwa, who is also leader of opposition in parliament, was reacting to a Supreme Court ruling which dismissed an application by him and two other senior DPP officials.

The three Nankhumwa, Grezelder Jeffrey, and Cecilia Chazama were challenging their party president’s decision to assign them other responsibilities within the party.

The trio petitioned the court for an interim order for interim relief against the decision and nullification of decisions made by President Peter Mutharika during a national governing council meeting held on December 13 last year.

However, in her ruling, Supreme Court Judge Justice Dorothy Nyakaunda dismissed the application in its entirety with costs.

While accepting and respecting the ruling, in a statement Nankhumwa said: “Recognizing it as the highest authority in Malawi, while we may not agree with the outcome, we accept the ruling in the spirit of upholding the rule of law.”

“Our decision to seek legal recourse stemmed from a sincere belief in defending the democratic principles that underpin our political system.

“We contested the move to dismiss us from our elected positions, emphasizing the importance of due process and adherence to the party’s internal structures. I have since welcomed the court’s decision on the matter.”

The former DPP’s Vice President for the South Nankhumwa further said will soon make a public statement on his strategic political direction.

“Currently, I am actively engaging in consultations with various stakeholders. In due course, I will share my strategic political direction and the next steps in my journey,”

Since its loss in the June 23, 2020, court-sanctioned presidential election, DPP has been caught in infighting that experts have described as not healthy for the party.

The situation has resulted in party divisions.

The bone of contention has been the party’s leadership succession, Kondwani Nankhumwa declaring his intention to compete at the party’s convention.