The High Court in Malawi’s commercial city, Blantyre, on Wednesday threw out UDF interim president Friday Jumbe’s application to have the party’s convention postponed.
Jumbe’s application fell out on technical grounds after Machinga Northeast Member of Parliament Atupele Muluzi on Tuesday withdrew an earlier challenge against secretary general Kennedy Makwangwala for identifying with the Jumbe camp.
Atupele had argued that Makwangwala was an illegitimate secretary general for identifying with Jumbe. Recently, Makwangwala dumped the Jumbe camp and joined Atupele’s faction.
Jumbe was riding on the back of that case to seek the court’s intervention to have the national conference scheduled for next Tuesday, arguing that holding the party’s national conference creates grave constitutional confusion.
Makwangwala’s lawyer, Kalekeni Kaphale, said Atupele discontinued his application; hence, Jumbe has no platform for his application for an injunction to postpone the party’s national conference.
Jumbe in an interview kept his card to his chest saying the nation will know his next move after the conference.
Meanwhile, members of UDF’s national executive committee (NEC) on Tuesday agreed to amend the constitution to include a clause that enables people below the age of 35 to qualify for the position of chairmanship as long as they would be 35 on or before the presidential election.
Chairperson of the national conference organising committee, Lillian Patel, said whoever will emerge winner as chairperson automatically qualifies as a presidential candidate, but they will have to decide on the running mate.
Atupele, George Nga Mtafu and Moses Dossi will tussle for the position of chairperson.
Ken Ndanga, the party’s deputy publicity secretary, extended an olive branch to the Jumbe camp to contest for any positions during the conference. Closing date for receiving nominations has been extended to Friday instead of Tuesday, said Ndanga.
