Judge Howard Pemba of the Lilongwe High Court has announced that he will deliver his decision on the application filed by Kondwani Nankhumwa, the Vice President for the South of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and Cecelia Chazama, the National Director of Women, within a week. The legal representative for Nankhumwa and Chazama, Peter Minjale, explained that they are seeking to invalidate the discussions that took place during the DPP National Governing Council (NGC) meeting on December 13 in Mangochi. They contend that the proceedings were illegal and contravened the party’s constitution.
In response, Charles Mhango, the Director of Legal Affairs for the DPP, expressed the view that political disputes should be resolved internally according to the constitutional framework established by the respective political party, rather than being brought before the court.
“No court has been able to resolve any of the cases honourable Nankhumwa brought against his political party. The only resolution that one can get is a temporary relief of injunction and nullification but political disputes persist. That should tell you that political disputes can not be resolved in a court of law,” said Mhango.
Nankhumwa and Chazama also asked the court to stop the party from removing them from their positions until the court determines the case.
