Nankhumwa not cowered with Mutharika

Says he is ready to face the DPP leader during the elective conference

Leader of Opposition in Parliament Kondwani Nankhumwa on Monday declared that he is ready to contest for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidency during an elective conference scheduled for Wednesday in Mangochi.

Nankhumwa until Monday was DPP vice president for the southern region before he was fired by party leader Peter Arthur Mutharika and moved to the position of advisor to the President.

His firing follows a protracted infighting within the party which has seen Nankhumwa leading one faction which has been at loggerheads with Mutharika demanding him to step down.

During a press conference in Balntyre, the charged Nankhumwa said he is not cowered by any forces and he is ready to face it off with Mutharika. He said he was also sure that he would defeat the 89-year-old party President.

“After this convention, I will surely be the DPP candidate in the 2025 elections. My desire is to restore DPP’s lost glory,” he said.

Nankhumwa said his decision to contest at the DPP convention follows thorough consultations he has made with various stakeholders including his own family.

He said he will win at the convention no matter who decides to challenge him.

He said in his life, he has never lost an election.

“Ndimagwetsa akulu akulu okha okha. Nditha kuoneka mwana koma ali mwa ine ndi wamkulu,” he said.

He also said he remains party vice president for the south, saying he is just hearing reports of his removal on social media platforms.

Nankhumwa has attributed chaos in the party to poor leadership.

He said the DPP as a political party leaves a lot to be desired saying, “It is not being managed professionally.”

He also said that under his leadership, he will ensure that tenets of intra-party democracy are not suppressed as with the current administration of the party.

“The DPP under my leadership will be a party for everyone and not a chosen few,” he said.

He said the DPP is currently reeling under the ‘big man syndrome’ where few people surrounding the party president have become the law itself.

Nankhumwa said he also respects Mutharika’s decision to contest at the convention but stressed that it must not be at the expense of intra-party democracy.

He said he is aware that Mutharika wants other candidates to step down from contesting at the convention.

He then called on his supporters to desist from castigating members in the other faction of the DPP, particularly the incumbent leader of the party, Mutharika.

“Should he contest, please do not insult or castigate APM. Democracy entails that we coexist peacefully so let us allow everyone to participate as they want,” he said.