Vice President Saulos Chilima says Minister of Homeland Security Nicholas Dausi was behind the fire that damaged a Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) warehouse in Lilongwe weeks after the 2014 elections.
The UTM presidential candidate made the accusations during a whistle stop tour in the Northern District of Chitipa on Wednesday morning.
Chilima challenged Dausi who is also ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson to sue him if he is lying.
“We are not surprised; it is DPP who has stolen cameras at MEC because it is the same DPP who had set fire at MEC warehouse in 2014 led by Nicholas Dausi. If they want to sue me they should do so, we shall meet in court,” Chilima said.
However, in a telephone interview with MEC Stringer Madalitso Phiri, Dausi said this is campaign and Chilima is entitled to speak whatever he wants.
“We cannot be answering to everything Chilima is saying, then it will not be a campaign. He (Chilima) has the right to speak what he wants. Let him continue,” said Dausi.
The Malawi Electoral Commission warehouse was gutted by fire on the night of July 15 2014, weeks after the 2014 tripartite elections.
Property that was lost in the fire included ballot papers for Lilongwe City South East where one of the candidates had challenged the results of the polls.
The Malawi Congress Party suspected foul play but a report released by MEC in 2015 ruled out arson as the cause of the fire.
Ndiye thawi yonse sukaulula bwanji ndiye kuti wenso ukudziwapo kathu both of u Mumangidwe basi.
Someone burns the Electoral Warehouse, and the VP finds it not necessary to report arson activities to the police. Yea ne, wisdom can never be bought from a classroom. Well this should be enough to call the VP in for further questioning so that those involved should be prosecuted, its crime. The VP may not know where exactly to report this but now the police should do the following for vandalizing public property.
Chilima ndiye ndi chitsiru. What does he take Malawians for? Why say this now? Where was he all this time? Kubisa info makes somebody a bad citizen. A bad citizen cannot make a good presifent
Chilima akuyeneranso kumangidwa kamba kosunga such critical info since 2014. Dausi nayenso akwidzingidwe basi for damaging Mec materials