DPP’s Chaponda denies despising Northern Region votes
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Leader in Parliament Dr George Chaponda has denied claims by Mzimba South East MP Rabson Chihaula Shaba, that he made remarks at the party caucus despising the Northern Region votes.
Shaba, who on Tuesday declared himself independent, claimed he dumped the DPP after a Chaponda said the party does not care much about losing votes in the North.
“That is not true. I never made such remarks and nobody in the party during the caucus said any statement despising the Northern Region votes,” said Chaponda.
He said Shaba’s claims were unfounded.
“I respect his decision to defect but the claims are no true. We cannot be careless to make such a statement,” he said.
Shaba claimed Chaponda said during the party caucus at his residence in Lilongwe that DPP party does not care about the votes in the North.
In his resignation letter dated November 19 2012 and addressed to the DPP secretary general, Shaba says: “Recent pronouncement by the leader of the DPP in the House, while in caucus disrespecting the electorate of my region, among others things, has led me to this decision.”
Shawa is not short of controversy. Recently he announced that he had defected from the ruling Peoples Party to rejoin DPP at a rally addressed by DPP acting president Peter Mutharikain Mzuzu.
He went on to apologize to the DPP leadership saying he regretted his previous decision and said his return to the former ruling party was based on democratic principles.
Chihaula Shawa joined the bandwagon of legislators of that defected to PP soon after the death of president Bingu wa Mutharika.
The ruling PP, an off-shoot of DPP, became a ruling party automatically after its founding leader Joyce Banda took over the presidency following Mutharika’s demise.
Since then, battle lines between the two parties have been drawn and analysts predict that scores will only be settled after the 2014 elections.
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