PP suspends Uladi, presidency reverts to Joyce Banda in exile

An extraordinary national executive committee (NEC) meeting of former ruling People’s Party (PP) has suspended the party’s acting president Uladi Mussa for sowing discord and undermining founding president Joyce Banda’s  authority.

PP spokesperson Noel Chimpeni said the party’s highest decision-making body suspended Mussa  after he publicly declared that he was taking over the presidency of the party from Banda, arguing that her tenure had expired.

He said the party  deliberated the “acts of misconduct” for which Mussa is being accused of are very serious and “breach of party protocol and discipline.”

PP  politburo meeting attended by 30 members of the NEC, the party’s two vice-presidents for North and South, Kamlepo Kalua and Ralph Jooma respectively and some of the party’s lawmakers, accused Mussa of showing “arrogance and defiance”, also bringing the party into disrepute.

Chimpeni said Mussa has only been relied of his  duties as acting PP leader – a post which he was appointed by Banda, who left the country in 2014, and has been in self-imposed exile since.

PP spokesperson said Mussa will continue serving as PP vice-president for Central Region.

He said Mussa  is not immediately out in the cold as he is entitled to be heard at a  disciplinary hearing to be held within 10 days.

According to Chimpeni, the suspension for Mussa is not meant to disable his political career or party membership but is meant to correct behaviour.

In his reaction Mussa said the NEC meeting was illegal, saying there not even a quorum.

”NEC has over 80 people and you cannot just invite a few people and say we have held a NEC meeting and decide to suspended the leaders,” said Mussa.

“If they think they are solving problems with suspending me they will be in for a rude shock ,” he said.