Following the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling on application by the former Vice President (South) for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Kondwani Nankhumwa, former Secretary General Grezelder Jeffrey and former Director of Women Cecelia Chazama, Nankhumwa says he is consulting on what to do next.
Nankhumwa, Jeffrey and Chazama appealed at the Supreme Court against the High Court’s ruling on their re-assignments in DPP, arguing that the party president Peter Mutharika has no power to remove them from their original positions since they were elected at an elective convention in 2018.
However, Supreme Court Judge, Dorothy NyaKaunda Kamanga on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 dismissed the application with costs in its entirety, thus including an application for an injunction restraining the party from summoning the three to the party disciplinary committee as they are facing accusations of holding a National Governing Council meeting without the party president’s blessing.
Reacting to the court determination through a press statement, Nankhumwa says while he may not agree with the outcome of the case, as a law-abiding person, he accepts the court’s decision.
“I acknowledge and respect the Supreme Court’s decision, which has upheld the High Court’s judgement in the case in which I, alongside Hon. Grezelder Jeffrey and Hon. Cecilia Chazama among other things, were challenging the decision by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President Prof. Arthur Peter Mutharika to move us from our respective positions which were entrusted on us by delegates to the party’s 2018 elective conference.
“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,” said Nankhumwa in a statement.
He further said they contested the move to dismiss them from their elected positions, emphasizing the importance of due process and adherence to the party’s internal structures and further said he is consulting people on what he should do following the ruling.
“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,” he added
Recently, DPP president Mutharika moved Nankhumwa from party vice president for south to presidential advisor role, whereas Jeffery was moved from the position of secretary general to Central region Vice President and Chazama was removed from the director of women role to the presidential advisor role.
Nankhumwa has been replaced by George Chaponda while Jeffrey has been replaced by Clement Mwale and Chazama was replaced by Mary Thomas Navicha.
