Hearing of a case in which Democratic Progressive Party president for South, Kondwani Nankhumwa, Grezelder Jeffrey and Yusuf Nthenda are challenging their expulsion from the party is on today at the Lilongwe Magistrate Court.
The matter, a civil case number 898 of 2020, will be heard before justice Simeon Mdeza at Lilongwe registry.
The trio obtained an injunction alongside Jappie Mhango against their expulsion for allegedly influencing the rejection of Peter Mutharika’s appointment of former Nsanje Central legislator, Francis Kasaila, as Leader of Opposition in Parliament to replace Nankhumwa.
The two factions later agreed to settle their differences through a mediation process. The first of those suggested meetings organized by Mutharika at his Mangochi residence was shunned by the trio.
However, a rift between the two sides took a dramatic turn some months ago which led to the collapse of the talks.
The flopped negotiations were being led by Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda who then referred the case to full trial today.
Reading between the lines, it is apparent that the factions in the democratic Progressive party DPP have no plans of ironing out their differences and are not ready to even negotiate any form of truce.
Ironically the allegiance of both factions to ideals of founder late Bingu Wa Mutharika has failed to bring them together in unity even after their initial agreement in court to settle their difference through mediation.
With time Malawians have come to realize that the main bone of contention was not really about the appointment of Kasaila.
It is more of an intraparty power struggle since Nankhumwa still wants to satisfy his political ambition regardless of some quarters within the party branding him as a renegade and are accusing him of despicable double standards.
The rift seems to deepen now with the emergence of another faction that comprises Kenneth Msonda and Joe Nyirongo who have been holding press briefings accusing Mutharika of clinging to the leadership of the party.
Both Nankhumwa and Msonda camps claim that the interim leadership is invalid.
Msonda has also been speaking against the recent appointment of some members into national the national governing council.
With such kind of a growing army of opponents determined to terminate Mutharika’s tenancy as president of the party either now or at the party’s convention when or if they convene one.