Chakwera fail to show up at 2 campaign rallies

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera has  failed to show up at two campaign rallies two days in a row, first on Tuesday in Mchinji and Wednesday in Nkhotakota  where party supporters endured the cold and windy weather waiting for his arrival.

On Tuesday, Chakwera did not travel to his scheduled rally in Mchinji and asked Speaker of Parliament, Catherine Gotani Hara, who is also MCP deputy secretary general to go and address the meeting on his behalf.

No reasons were given for Chakwera failing to go to Mchinji.

On Wednesday, Chakwera did not show up in Nkhotakota  for his planned whistlestop tours and instead MCP deputy president Sidik Mia addressed the rally.

Party insiders say Chakwera missed the rallies because he had interviews with international media organisations including BBC and Agence France-Presse (AFP), one of the world’s great wire news services.

However, some MC top officials have revealed that Chakwera has been advised to  stop conducting whistlestop tours over security concerns

However, after a rally that was conducted at Chigumula ground in Nkhotakota, MCP deputy president, Sidik Mia, could not come out clear on the issue when he was interviewed on the reports.

But Mia said Chakwera was attending to other pressing issues.

“Dzungu lokoma saika poyera ( a good pumpkin need  to be kept hidden) hence the missing of Chakwera at the rally,” Mia said.

MCP Campaign Director, Moses Kunkuyu said there is no need for Chakwera to continue with the rallies as other officials in the alliance have already managed to reach out to all Tonse Alliance would be voters.

Chakwera, who quit the pulpit as head of Malawi Assemblies of God in 2013 to join frontline politics, alongside his running mate Saulos Chilima successfully petitioned the High Court of Malawi sitting as the Constitutional Court to nullify last year’s election.

The MCP  leader said God has given Malawians the fresh election to restore every voter’s power to bring change and enjoy their rights.