Mvula rebuffs Aford

Former United Democratic Front (UDF) director of research Humphrey Mvula has rejected an offer by Alliance for Democracy (Aford) president Enoch Chihana to rope him into Aford in the party’s rebuilding process.

In an interview yesterday, Mvula said he is comfortable being a political analyst and is yet to appreciate a party with national ideologies.

However, he acknowledged having a conversation with Chihana on Aford rebuilding which, he said, was not a bad idea as the North needs a power broker that can negotiate for development.

Mvula said he feels the pain inflicted on people due to unequal distribution of resources and quota system of selecting students to public schools, but said he is not ready to bounce back into politics.

Chihana, Aford’s sole member of Parliament (MP) in the 193-member National Assembly, has embarked on a process of rebuilding Aford to have a solid political party in the Northern Region to lobby for developments and advance the region’s agenda.

Aford was once the household name in the region as it claimed all the 33 parliamentary seats in the region and some in the Central Region in the country’s first post-independence multiparty general elections in 1994.

Speaking in an interview on Sunday after unveiling Aford’s candidate for Chiwanja Ward by-election in Mzuzu, Chihana said he has brought on board Mvula, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) MP and Cabinet minister Abbie Shaba, Chipani cha Fuko vice-president Burton Siyonani-Phiri and Professor Fred Msiska of Mzuzu University, among others.

He said Aford wants to advance the federalism agenda until it sees the light of the day.

Siyonani-Phiri, who was Aford’s first campaign director in 1992, confirmed rejoining the party, adding Aford will claim back all its former members.

Shaba and Umodzi Party general secretary Edgar Tembo, who were also contacted by Chihana, refused to comment on the matter.

Chancellor College associate professor of political science Blessings Chinsinga said Chihana has taken the right approach to start rebuilding the party from the Northern Region where it once enjoyed support.

He said the party no longer controls the region; hence, there is need to revamp it in the province before extending to other territories.