Abida Mia says she will contest for the parliamentary seat in Chikwawa Mkombezi constituency.
Mia is wife to first vice president of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Mohammed Sidik Mia.
She declared her candidature during the whistle stop rallies she conducted at Saopa, Makande, Therere and Jombo wards in the district.
The announcement comes hot on the wheels of social media speculations that Sidik Mia withdrew from the parliamentary race in the constituency to pursue his running mate agenda.
He had previously announced his intentions to reclaim his post in Chikwawa Mkombezi constituency after a five-year break since the previous elections.
At the time, Mia argued that developmental activities have gone down in the constituency.
His wife, too, observed that for the five years that Sidik Mia has not been MP, the constituency has been lagging behind in terms of development.
She took time to remind the people of Chikwawa Mkombezi constituency of some of the development projects that were implemented during his tenure.
Mia further argued that she used to play a complementary role at the time and that as such, she is capable of leading the constituency.
“I have been with most of you in the constituency for the past 26 years. We used to help one another in times of need. I know the challenges that most of you face and, hence, I will work with chiefs to resolve them,” said Mia.
MCP regional chairperson Peter Simbi said the party requested her to run in the constituency on behalf of Sidik Mia after realising how the vice-president might be tied up with his running mate bid.
“The party has been seeking grass root approval on the decision through chiefs. As a party, we are happy to have received the overwhelming response from the people,” he said.
Taking his turn during the whistle stops, the party’s deputy director of research Iryas Karimu who is also MP for Chikwawa South constituency noted that MCP is gaining grounds in the lower Shire due to the influence of the party’s vice president.
