DPP faces legal action over dismissals

 Former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) now faces legal action from the three fired Northern Region Committee officials after a scheduled meeting to resolve the differences and reinstate them failed to take place.

The three are regional youth director Kelvin Chirambo, director of women Joyce Chikukula and regional governor Ackim Mwanza.

Initially, the trio, through their lawyer George Kadzipatike, demanded reinstatement by Thursday last week, but party president Peter Mutharika pleaded with them to put

 on hold their legal action to have the matter resolved internally.

But communication from DPP legal director Charles Mhango to Kadzipatike, which The Nation has seen, shows that the three allegedly refused to attend a meeting scheduled for yesterday in Lilongwe.

Mhango’s letter dated May 13 reads: “I wish to inform you that your clients were invited to a meeting to internal ly resolve

 your clients’ grievances through the necessary party structures, but your clients have rejected any discussions with the party.

“In view of this development, the party is unable to make any decision to resolve your clients’ grievances without the participation of your clients.”

Further communication we have seen shows that Mhango, a former Attorney General, invited the three to a meeting yesterday through a WhatsApp message.

The message reads: “I have been delegated by His Excellency Professor Arthur Mutharika to invite you to a meeting at Honourable Goodall  Gondwe’s residence in Lilongwe tomorrow on Sunday afternoon.”

However, the three refused and urged Mhango to engage their lawyer Kadzipatike instead.

The trio’s lawyer yesterday said the party was simply supposed to reinstate his clients and not engage in discussions with them.

Kadzipatike said: “We gave the party a chance to resolve the issues regarding the unlawful dismissals of my clients from their positions. There is nothing in such a case that would require the party to meet my clients.

“The party should have simply reinstated my clients without beating about the bush, considering that the decisions dismissing my clients are obviously unlawful. We are going to file a legal action against

 the party and its president on Tuesday.”

Kadzipatike said they have already started working on the paperwork for that legal action.

Chirambo and Chikukula were fired on March 31 2023 while Mwanza was dismissed on December 11 2022.

In April this year, DPP regional governor for the South Charles Mchacha obtained a court order stopping the party and Mutharika from removing him from the position.

Earlier, political analyst Dr George Chaima said the chaos in DPP is a result of lack of proper guidance from the leadership.

Cracks in DPP came to light after Jeffrey told The Nation in August 2020 that party leader Peter Mutharika had done his part and that DPP needed a new person to lead it into the future, calling for an early convention