More officials to resign from PP, claims Mpinganjira

There is chaos in People’s Party (PP) of former president Joyce Banda and that many officials are set to resign, the party’s former vice president Brown Mpinganjira has claimed.

Mpinganjira said he resigned to concentrate on his “private project” and that before long he will be back in the front line politics.

He has been linked to joined ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) but he has downplayed the assertions, saying his next political membership will be known soon.

“Soon after my resignation I have been overwhelmed with calls from people across the country asking me about my resignation and a lot of people have told me that they are also resigning from the party due to their own personal reasons,” claimed Mpinganjira.

Mpinganjira’s resignation comes recently after PP Vice President for North Harry Mkandawire MP and Sosten Gwengwe who is May 20; 2014presidential running mate to Joyce Banda resigned. Mkandawire only resigned his post but could not withdraw his membership for fear of anti-defection law as MP.

Gwengwe and Mpinganjira who are not MPs have withdrawn their memberships.

PP secretary general, Ibrahim Matola, said every party in the country including DPP has its own challenges and that his party painfully accepted the resignations but it will map the way forward.

“We can confess that the resignations are regrettable to our party but we have accepted it and we will be meeting soon to map the way forward.” Matola said.

Matola was however non-committal if the absence of the party`s president Joyce Banda is the reason for the exodus.

An electoral expert, Unandi Banda who heads the National Election System Trust (NEST) said the resignations are having a negative bearing on PP and added that only a post-mortem of the events is key to its survival.

“PP should meet and discuss the future of the party as soon as possible because at the rate at how things are going, it’s not good for them,” Unandi told MBC.

University of Malawi political expert Dr Blessings Chinsinga said the resigned members are doing such because they were co-opted to be in the party and they want to revive their careers.