Vice-President Michael Usi may have launched his Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu outfit as a political party with pomp on Sunday, but it has emerged that it is not registered under the Political Parties Act.
Responding to The Nation observation yesterday that the launched party was not on the online list of registered political parties, Registrar of Political Parties Kizito Tenthani confirmed that his office has not issued any certificate to Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu Party.
He said: “As far as we are concerned, we don’t have that [Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu] party. We haven’t registered them. We still have 23 registered political parties and we will update you whenever there are some changes.
“But if they [Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu] decide to apply [for party registration], we are going to treat it like any other application. So, if we will be satisfied, we will register it, and if we will not be satisfied we will not.”
Section 12 (1) of Political Parties Act states that for a political party to be registered, it should, among others, consist of not less than 100 people who are eligible to vote in each of the country’s districts.
Further, Section 12(2) of the same law requires that the application for registration be signed by the office bearers of the political party and specify the name of the party. The application also must be accompanied by two copies of the constitution, rules and manifesto of the party and particulars of the registered party’s office.
During the launch at Masintha Ground in Kawale, Lilongwe on Sunday, Usi declared that Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu was now a political party, but kept a tight lid on whether he will be on the presidential ballot in the September 16 General Election.
He told the rally that at an opportune time people will be informed about the party’s status, including manifesto.
When contacted separately yesterday, both Usi and the party’s interim secretary general Happy Kondowe asked for more time. They promised to call back, but did not by press time at 9pm.
In his response, Kondowe said: “We are now moving ahead with other things. We can’t be going back. So, let me call you later.”
Usi’s Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu started as a movement in the run up to the 2019 Tripartite Elections, but went into oblivion in February 2019 after UTM Party president and the country’s former Vice-President Saulos Chilima picked him as his running mate in the nullified presidential election.
The revival of the movement and subsequent transition into a political party comes months after Usi chickened out of the UTM Party presidential race last November while serving as interim president, having replaced Chilima who died in a military plane crash last June.
The amended Section 12A of the Political Parties Act also requires the National Planning Commission (NPC) to issue a certificate of compliance that a political party’s manifesto is aligned to the national development agenda.
Asked whether Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu Party was issued a certificate of compliance, NPC public relations and communications manager Thom Khanje said his institution cannot disclose information about anyone who has submitted a manifesto.
