Iqbal Omar denies quitting

Businessperson and United Democratic Front (UDF) first vice-president Iqbal Omar has denied quitting from his position as earlier confirmed by party spokesperson Ken Ndanga.

Ndanga confirmed to The Nation on Sunday that Omar had resigned as the party’s first vice-president citing personal reasons and that the party’s president, Atupele Muluzi, had accepted his resignation.

But while Ndanga maintained his stand in another interview on Monday, Omar, in a written reaction to The Nation story, denied that he has resigned and accused “people who have not sacrificed anything for the party” of trying to force him out.

Read in part Omar’s response: “I haven’t resigned and I will be the last to do so. This is malicious and is coming from people who have issues with me.

“For your information, I have spent a lot towards sustaining the party more than anyone else. It is a shame that people who haven’t sacrificed anything for the party are trying to take me out.”

He explained that during the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, a member castigated and called him names in the presence of Atupele. The member then accused him of dividing the party and called for his resignation, he said.

“I got very angry and asked delegates to relieve me of my duties as vice-president, but the president refused, including all NEC members. I haven’t written any letter of resignation,” said Omar.

But Ndanga, in an interview yesterday, maintained that Omar resigned, saying the records are there.

Said Ndanga: “Maybe he was testing the waters and now he is regretting. We are a party of records and his decision is recorded. Nobody asked him to resign, but [he] voluntarily did so and the president accepted his decision.”

In recent general elections, notably 2009 and 2014, UDF’s strength in terms of members of Parliament (MPs) has been declining. Currently, the party has 14 MPs.