Daggers have been drawn. The long concealed feuding within the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) has reportedly reached boiling point with the party’s central region Vice President Alfred Gangata being the first significant casualty of the infighting, as two sides fight to succeed incumbent party president Peter Mutharika, we can reveal.
Gangata belongs to the ‘Ntcheu’ cabal, headed by Norman Chisale, whose members include Peter Mukhitho, Getrude Mutharika, and Shadrick Namalomba.
As part of the ‘Ntcheu’ cabal’s grand scheme to wrestle power from an ailing Mutharika, Gangata was strategically nurtured, groomed and placed as DPPs Vice President (Centre), strategically positioning him to become Mutharikas running mate in the coming September polls.
Joseph Mwanamveka, another Vice President (South), being from the Lomwe belt where Mutharika claims to come from, is already out of contention for running mate. According to our source the DPP is of the view that the northern region vote is insignificant as such the party’s Vice President (North) Jappie Mhango is already out of contest.
This has positioned Gangata on the path to be the running mate, and eventually State Vice President, and successor to Mutharika, effectively wrestling the party from it’s traditional strong hold; the Lomwe belt.
In 2019, the ‘Ntcheu’ cabal influenced Mutharika to appoint Chimulirenji, a Ntcheu parliamentarian as running mate, with a similar agenda as is being effected now: to grab power from the south.
No illiterates, says DPP south
DPP loyalists, and high ranking NEC members from the southern region have on the other hand been holding closed door meetings, high on the agenda being safeguarding the party from ‘outsiders’, our sources have revealed. These meetings are also attracting influential chiefs from the Lomwe belt and eastern regions respectively.
Understandably so, these meetings have questioned the party’s preference for new comers and illiterates to succeed Mutharika, over long serving and well qualified loyalists. The common denominator between Chimulirenji and Gangata is their illiteracy; Gangata was recently arrested for possession of a fake MSCE certificate but further revelations indicate he does not even have a Junior Certificate of education.
“The consensus from the southern region team is that the party and Malawi deserves better. Vice President is in actual fact president in waiting. We can’t have these illiterates to manage the country. We will be the world laughing stock. We have well abled people within the DPP. Politicians with international clout and proven management capabilities,” says our source.
Dr George Chaponda, Dr Bright Msaka, and Dr Josephy Mwanamvekha are all proven academics with impeccable proven accolades.
Dr Chaponda is an Ivy League graduate of law from the prestigious Yale University in the United States of America. He has had an impeccable career as a lawyer on the international scene working with global United Nations organizations. He has also served as a diplomat in several countries.
Dr Bright Msaca (SC) also has had a distinguished law career and for years served as top civil servant in the office of the president and cabinet while Mwanamvekha is an accomplished banker and financial guru, who once headed the financial hub, Continental Discount House before retiring into politics.
The southern region team is being supported by well-known academics such as Dr Ken Lipenga and Professor Address Malata, professionals like Collins Magalasi and Gift Dulla and others as well as influential chiefs in the likes of T/A Bvumbwe, Ngongoliwa and Khwethemula of Thyolo.
The team also includes lawyers such as Charles Mhango, David Kanyenda and Chancy Gondwe has since resolved to meet Mutharika to express their discontent and also suggest possible running mates with proper credentials. The suggested names are of Dr Bright Msaka and Walter Nyamilandu. Msaka, is from the eastern region while Nyamilandu is from the Lower Shire.
The plot to discredit Gangata
Meanwhile it has also been revealed that Gangata’s recent woes have been orchestrated within the DPP, the southern region team, to ensure that he is discredited and invalidates any hope of being picked as running mate.
Police sources have revealed that the recent arrest of Gangata was based on a tip from one of DPP officials who disclosed that Mr. Gangata forged an MSCE certificate.
“After following up the matter and verification with Maneb, it was proved that Mr. Gangata indeed possess a forged certificate. Maneb officials revealed that even their Junior Certificate records do not have anything on Gangata,” said the Police source.
“Our main concern is that in the likely event that Mutharika wins the election, Gangata will likely be one of his senior cabinet ministers despite having no academic papers. Now in the event that he is picked as a running mate, that means he will be the country’s Vice President, our president-in-waiting,” said a senior DPP member.
This is not the first time the DPP has fought it’s own. It was recently revealed that the age bill issue was also being pushed by senior DPP members to bar Mutharika from running for office again.
