The Lilongwe High Court has rejected a request by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vice president Kondwani Nankhumwa and Secretary General Grezelder Jeffrey to declare that Peter Mutharika is no longer president of DPP.
The court has also rejected their prayer for a convention this year.
Nankhumwa who is DPP’s Vice President for the South and Jeffrey, through their lawyer, Gilbert Khonyongwa, asked the court to order for an early convention before 2023.
The claimants further wanted the High Court to declare that former Malawi President, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika is no longer president of DPP and that his position be up for grab.
However, High Court Judge, Simeon Mdeza on Thursday rejected the prayers saying the decision of when to hold the convention should be discussed and agreed at party level and further said the court has no power to remove Mutharika from his position.
Mdeza, however, ruled that Nankhumwa, Jeffrey and Mulanje West lawmaker, Yusuf Nthenda be reinstated in their respective party positions on grounds that they were duly elected during the DPP’s convention in 2018.
Mdeza has directed that DPP’s National Governing Council and National Executive Committee should from now start holding meetings as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
Since DPP lost the fresh presidential election in 2020, there have been disagreements which has left the party into disrepute.
