PP gurus to decide Maulidi, others’ fate

The People’s Party (PP) has called for an impromptu national executive committee (NEC) meeting to decide the fate of its acting secretary general (SG) Paul Maulidi and five other members who have defied the party’s stand on by-elections.

In an interview yesterday, PP spokesperson Ken Msonda said the party will meet either today or tomorrow to determine the way forward.

The party, through its vice-president Brown Mpinganjira, announced last week that it had pulled out of the October 7 by-elections, citing “massive cheating in the May 20 Tripartite Elections and that the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) played a key role in the electoral fraud that damaged chances of our presidential, parliamentary and council candidates.”

However, Maulidi and five other members have defied the call and insist they will contest on PP ticket.

Maulidi has also sued PP leader Joyce Banda and the party for ordering him to withdraw from the race, arguing he had spent about K72 million on campaign since July last year.

He said he will contest as parliamentarian for Blantyre North Constituency.

The other five—Gibson Mulwa, Palipose John Chipeta, Shadrick Keith Phiri, Stanly Duma Siyasiya and Suzen Yasin Gama—are standing as councillors.

But Msonda said the party was surprised that their acting secretary general had defied the party’s stand on the matter.

“The party’s NEC is meeting either tomorrow [today] or Tuesday to map the way forward on this latest development,” said Msonda.

When asked whether Maulidi was privy to their meeting that resolved to shun the polls, Msonda responded: “As acting secretary general, Maulidi is the party’s chief executive officer and there is no way we can make a decision without being aware.”