Government has dismissed the speculative narrative that President Peter Mutharika asked First Vice-President Jane Ansah to resign.
Chief Secretary Justin Saidi said in a statement yesterday that Ansah, who paired with Mutharika in the September 16 2025 General Election, continues to fully discharge her constitutional duties, including participating in Cabinet meetings and contributing towards the country’s governance.
“Malawians are reminded that the exercise of presidential authority is governed by the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi. Under Section 90 (1), presidential decisions are formally expressed in writing and under the President’s signature,” he said in the statement.
“There is no such written communication that the State President has asked the Vice-President to resign because no such decision has been made.”
Saidi also dismissed claims by United Democratic Front (UDF) and UTM Party that Ansah is being victimised, making reference to the reduced expenditure to the Office of the Vice-President and re-assignment of some delegated roles.
rumours between Ansah
and Mutharika (R)
He said the recent reassignment of some of the functions, notably the supervision role at the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) and Public Sector Reforms to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), resulted in a corresponding adjustment to the budget of the Office of the Vice-President.
Saidi said: “These institutional realignments are part of a wider Public Sector Reform Agenda aimed at strengthening coordination, enhancing service delivery and improving operational efficiency within government.
“Such administrative decisions are routine in the management of government functions and should not be misconstrued as sidelining the Office of the Vice President.”
Ansah’s press secretary Richard Mveriwa yesterday did not respond to our request for comment.
Mutharika picked Ansah—a retired Justice of Appeal—as his running mate in the September 16 election, and the pair went on to win the poll with 56.7 percent of the total votes cast.
In an interview yesterday, National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe described the statement as reassuring; stressing it decisively dispels a speculative narrative.
“It underscores that President Arthur Peter Mutharika continues to operate within the bounds of the Constitution, with no directive issues regarding the Vice-President’s resignation and that recent developments are part of broader fiscal discipline and public sector reform measures,” he said.
Kondowe said the clarification also highlights the importance of proactive transparency in governance.
He said administrative realignments, however legitimate, can easily be misinterpreted in the absence of clear, timely communication.
Kondowe said: “Sustained public confidence will depend not only on adherence to constitutional principles, but also on ensuring that all constitutional offices are seen to function with dignity, clarity of mandate and institutional balance.”
Governance commentator Undule Mwakasungula, prior to Saidi’s statement, which was issued in the evening, said what may be happening may not necessarily be a direct conflict between Mutharika and Ansah, but rather broader political maneuvering by individuals or factions seeking to shape the future leadership narrative.
“The VP in question was personally picked by the President as his running mate. Such a choice usually reflects a level of political confidence and strategic partnership,” he said.
The Vice-President’s Dodma role was moved to OPC on January 10 2026 while she was in the United Kingdom where she went on a private trip that had sparked controversy over use of public funds.
In his statement at the time, Saidi said Mutharika ordered the immediate transfer of the Dodma role to OPC to improve coordination, decision-making and speed in disaster response.
This was at a time floods had affected 29 councils, leaving at least 36 people dead and 168 injured.
Initially, Ansah’s press office had said she would return to Malawi on January 10 2026, but instead prolonged her stay and returned on January 15 2026.
Then eight days after Ansah returned from her UK private trip—on January 23 2026—Saidi announced in a statement that the Department of Public Sector Reforms Management be relocated to OPC.
Reasons for the transfer of the reforms role, according to Saidi, were to align and consolidate functions to centrally facilitate reforms across ministries, departments and agencies.
While the two scenarios created the perception of the purported rift in the presidency, there has been no public statement made by any senior government official or supporters of the current administration—whether using innuendos or directly—attacking the Vice-President as witnessed in previous years during fallout of the President and his VP.
