Atupele courts Mia to return: Drums support for Mutharika’s re-election as Malawi leader

Atupele Muluzi the running mate to President Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the June 23 fresh presidential election has stepped up the charm offensive to lure Lower Shire political giant Sidik Mia back to DPP or United Democratic Front (UDF).

Atupele, who is UDF president, was speaking in the whistle stop campiagn tour on Thursday which he held from Fatima in Nsanje north to Mfere in Chikwawa amidst political manoeuvring ahead of the fresh presidential polls.

“I have a very cordial relationship with Sidik Mia and his wife Abida MP. We have come a long way and his father was among the founders of UDF. We are family. I urge Mia to return to UDF or the DPP,” said Atupele, who is son to former president Bakili Muluzi.

Mia is first deputy president of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and was MCP’s presidential hopeful Lazarus Chakwera’s running mate in the 2019 botched presidential elections.

He has been substituted as running mate with Saulos Chilima of UTM in a nine-party Tonse Alliance but standing under the banner of MCP.

“We would welcome Mia back, and in fact we are able to say we would love to have those who left to come back in DPP and UDF,” said Atupele.

DPP and UDF have formed an electoral alliance to in a bid to garner votes following Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal’s interpretation of majority as 50-percent-plus-one vote in the presidential election.

But Mia in a telephone interview with Nyasa Times, said while it is true he has a cordial relationship with Atupele, he remains MCP and rule out return to either DPP or UDF.

“I am second in command in MCP and we are government in waiting. I am not jumping the ship. Malawi will soon have a Chakwera presidency and MCP government,” he said.

Mia added: “I am loyal to Dr  Chakwera and MCP.”

During the whistle-stop campaign, Atupele assured people of East bank, Nsanje and Chikwawa continued developments if they vote for President Peter Mutharika in the elections

Accompanied by Minister of Irrigation, Charles Mchacha who is also the DPP southern region governor and other DPP and UDF members of parliament, Atupele outlined several developments that DPP led government is initiating in East bank.

He cited the much talked Fatima- Thekerani road which is now taking shape as a major development that will see the area transformed with the coming in of the tar marked road

Muluzi also assured people in the area that DPP-UDF alliance is the only people centred alliance that has been made to ensure that the country is united as one while safeguarding the democracy that the country voted for in 1994.

“Professor Mutharika has in the past 10 months shown to us and the world that he is a true democrat by allowing people to freely demonstrate in the country even though the demonstrations have been violent where they were busy destroying people’s goods,” he said.

Malawians are set to elect a President following decisions by the High Court of Malawi sitting as the Constitutional Court and the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal which upheld the lower court judgement that nullified the May 21 2019 presidential election over alleged irregularities, especially in the results management system.

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