The High Court in Lilongwe has ordered the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to hold a convention within 90 days.
In July this year, DPP National Governing Council (NGC) made a resolution that the elective conference will happen in 2024.
However, High court Judge Simeon Mdeza, has nullified the NGC decision saying the DPP failed to comply with with a court order made on 5th May, 2022.
In the 2022 order, the court ordered DPP to hold dully constituted NGC and Central committee meetings within reasonable time in accordance with the DPP constitution.
Mdeza in his ruling described the failure to hold a convention as a threat to democracy.
“The five years’ mandate of the current office bearers of the defendant’s National Governing Council and Central Committee has expired. Surprisingly, the July 2023 NGC meeting was bent on favouring the incumbent party president at the expense of complying with the court order. It was a sham and a threat to intra-party democracy,” reads part of the ruling.
Mdeza then ordered the DPP to conduct an elective national political conference within 90 days and to ensure that contestants at the convention are only those eligible to stand under the party’s constitution.
The ruling comes after senior members of DPP such as vice president for the south Kondwani Nankhumwa, Secretary General Grelzeder Jeffrey and Yusuf Nthenda filed an application for the court to nullify the July 2023 NGC resolutions and proceedings.
The DPP was expected to hold a convention this year but the conference was pushed to next year amid calls from some party members for former President Peter Mutharika to be the party’s torchbearer in the 2025 presidential elections.
