Ben Phiri hits at DPP ‘greed’: Mphepo ‘nepotistic’ remarks haunts party ahead of new vote

February 4, 2020 Owen Khamula - Nyasa Times 45 Comments

Just as the Constitutional Court has ruled that Malawians should in the next 150 days go back to the polls to elect their leader  after it overturned last year’s ‘Tipp-Ex election’,  governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) director of elections, Ben Phiri  has said greed by the party’s officials cost them the  presidential elections.

Ben Phiri: We will campaign vigorously

Phiri, who is also Minister of Local Government and Rural Development,  said this on Tuesday in Mangochi  a day after the  five-judge panel of the High Court of Malawi  comprising Healey Potani, Redson Kapindu, Ivy Kamanga, Mike Tembo and Dingiswayo Madise,  annulled last year’s elections and called for a new ballot within 150 days.

He was elevating three Traditional Authorities to senior chiefs.

Phiri noted that some party officials were greed with power, apparently also hinting on the picking of Everton Chimulirenji to be President Peter Mutharika’s running mate.

He said the DPP failed to get a landslide victory for presidential elections in May because greed prevented the Eastern and Southern regions to form a formidable force during the May 21 Elections.

In the ‘Tipp-Ex election’, Mutharika polled 38% of the vote, followed by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarus Chakwera with 35% and UTM Party president Saulos Chilima in third with 20%. The four other candidates collectively got nearly 6% of the vote.

Phiri said the DPP is aware that some of its supporters are disappointed with the nullification of the Presidential elections results by the Constitutional Court but said they will canvass votes to win back the presidency.

“DPP will campaign vigorously to win the presidential elections, do not despair,” said Phiri.

Phiri was a key witness to Mutharika, who was  first respondent in the presidential election case, and in his testimony he admitted electoral flaws in May 21 2019 elections that included officers filling in inappropriate boxes of the tally sheets because of failure to understand some terminologies.

He also admitted use of Tippex, duplicate forms and alterations of results on tally sheets by some polling staff.

During his testimony, he  was also made to read out his sworn affidavit, which stated that auditors which the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) hired to scrutinise and certify the electoral process, rejected many of the tally sheets because of missing signatures of some political parties.

In their abridged version of its 500-paged landmark judgement read between 9am and about 7.50pm, the judges said the result was marred by Malawi Election Commission failing to audit votes properly and allowing the results to be altered.

“In every election there will be irregularities but in the present matter, it has been our finding that the irregularities were so widespread, systematic and grave that the results of the elections have been compromised and cannot be trusted as a reflection of the votes,” Healy Potani, the head of the panel of five judges, said.

Meanwhile, commentators say DPP will be haunted by nepotistic remarks made by Mutharika’s advisor on political affairs Francis Mphepo ahead of the forthcoming fresh elections.

According to an audio clip that has been circulating on social media, Mphepo said Mutharika will withdraw development projects in the Northern Region for the people’s ‘ungratefulness’.

Mphepo, in a statement through his personal assistant Peter Mangulenje, said he didn’t mean what he said.

President Mutharika and State House are yet to comment on the Constitutional Court ruling which has also reinstated UTM President Saulos Chilima as State Vice President, technically firing Chimulirenji.

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45 replies on “Ben Phiri hits at DPP ‘greed’: Mphepo ‘nepotistic’ remarks haunts party ahead of new vote”

  1. Yes tunbuka s are stupid. Sayamika. .chihana came, they jated him, muluzi removed the mcps quota system, built schools etc. They hated. And demolished. Mosquis, bingu.came constructed chitipa karonga road they said chundere

    Peleka be mzimba and Chitipa water board,, mcp attack Ed DPP andsaud kuli anthu ochepaaaa

    1. This stupid boy whats to be relevant. He is also highly nepotistic.Since he was appointed minister of local government he has been perstering city officials in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu to allocate him plots so that he should sell to indians. Stupid boy.

  3. This comment goes to Ben Phiri if at all he is going to read my comment . Ben Phiri, tell the President that the wise thing at this point is to put the DPP House in order and go back to the voters and seek a fresh mandate to govern this Country. He is still the President and DPP is still in power. For a party which is in govt it is very easy to have the trust of the people back and bring new voters on board. I have suggestions on what the president should do but this cant be discussed here. I dont know how the suggestions will get to the president

  4. Francis Mphepo akufunika kuthilidwa mphepo zenizeni, timadana ndi nkhalamba zopusa pa town. By the way, lets concentrate on developing our country other than kukokana m’buyo tokhatokha

  5. I feel sorry for my Yao countrymen being used by this idiot. By the way how many ministers do we have from eastern region??? Akakhala Atupele anamubela ma vote just to make him useless. Lero akubwera ku Mangochi ngati abale. Ingodyani ndalamazo but vote wisely. These people don’t love Yao people don’t be cheated.

  6. Trouble with DPP is that everyone fears the other. Don’t be fooled that there is unity in the party. Look at Phiri admonishing Mphepo. Remember the phone conversation between Nankhumwa and Wa Jeffrey which in part accused Mwananvekha of not accomodating? How about the leadership succession wrangle?

    Zili kumeneko

  8. Achimulinji adaphula adagula 10 flatliners in 9 months akusungitsa kwachikhwaya china mu ntcheu muno plus kwao kwa apongozi amanga osati masewela we love mr Tippex Ex vP

  10. I foresee this election like that of 1994 with millions of people registering and voting. Expect more than 12 million people voting. It will cost parties and the government dearly and may lead to parties being financially bankrupt after the elections.

  13. Ben Phiri soon as much as you talk ACB will be investigating how you corruptly accumulated your wealth. From nowhere except carrying Peter Mutharika’s briefcase you woke up a billionaire. You were sat outside Mutharika’s office all day with nothing to do. Today you boast of your wealth.

    1. save yourself a heart attack. these damn politicians don’t arrest each other. they simply take malawians for a ride. open your a yes my brother and see things for what they are and not what you wish. Uyo Bakili akuyendayenda. Can’t you see that master cashgaters are sitting kunsanja ya MCP. Abiti Maloko and her brother Sidik. Kunkuyu and gwengwe included. It’s nice to see democracy win but most of the monkeys are the same

  14. Ben you shouldn’t be the one talking about greedy DPP officials when you are number on greedy person. You think Malawians don’t know how you abused power to remove from government houses Malawians working with the UN at area 12 in Lilongwe. You then occupied one and forcibly bought the rest. Nkhanza zoona. Mubweza zimenezi zija.
    Chaka chake ndichi…. Ndichino.

  15. Hope you have learned a lesson, kumalorerani there can be only one president, Vice President at a time. Can we also please vote running mate from a convention

  17. So Mr Ben Phiri, you just thinking of winning the presidency but not changing Malawians lives. Malawians are tired of poverty,high prices of goods, especially our staple food , under your government.Poor education standards like achina quota system, high School fees, and other health problems just to mention a few. On greedy and power hungry individuals ,such people are so many in DPP koma i believe musova within 5 month time from now on, if you can.Coz presidential election is coming again for the second time within these coming 5 months.U can not win the land slide in one region, start national politics not regional politics.Citizens first at all times, rule number one.Nullifications has been given coz of wrong doings like tippex in presidential results sheets.

  18. It appears to me that we have heard the judgment different. Greed? How? I thought the court’s decision can be interpreted as saying that the 38% that APM got could not be verified just as for the rest of the contenders? How does greed fit into this?

  19. My advise to you so called DPP Lomwe heavy weights is please try to involve other tribes. Nokhanokha aLomwe mukusemerana zinyau and if we are not careful we will be third in July hence not qualify for runoff.
    Bwana Ben Phiri please tell APM to take a northerner as a running mate. Jappie Muhango comes top to me but of course there are others like Vuwa, etc. If we get a quota of northern and central region votes we will qualify for a runoff and having a northerner as a running mate will be a major boost to amass over 60% northern votes in the final elections since no other party will have a representative from that region.
    Am convinced we can win because the southern region has not celebrated much over the election anullment and that is a good sign of loyalty to DPP.

  20. Inu there is no different btwn Ben Phiri and Mphepo, this is why we want to get rid of this Nepotism regime. We need a true leader who will lead Malawi without looking at one’s tribe but Malawi as one nation.

    I don’t mind Wether this leader will come from the North, Central , South or East but what I mind is development for the people of Malawi as a whole.

  21. Mphepo, UDF and the DPP have always been tribalistic. This stems from the pact these two parties have with Bakili Muluzi that the party needs to rule for 31 years before other regions start also ruling.For those that understand the history of the country called Malawi-we are where we are today because of one thief who stole Six pounds at Msinja Traditional Court who could not fathom giving power to Justin Malewezi after his third term bid failed.He chose to relinquish power to one thief called Bingu Rabson Thom Wamutahrika because he did not wish power to be handed to Malewezi from the Central Region who was supposed to be deputized by one Aleke Banda from the North.

  22. Paja midyomba / achawa aku mangochi ndiopanda nzeru . I know they will support DPP or after being disappointed.
    The only place DPP can go and cheat is and fuck around this place . If I recall , mangochi was a no go zone area by DPP koma lero it is their base.
    Here in the north , DPP will never rise again.Hope anzathu a chewa can follow suit. Leave achawa alone.
    Kkkkkk

    1. Madalo you are a fool….chitsiru chenicheni. You are calling Yao people Achawa/ midyomba, saying they are brainless. If the Yao are brainless, then who is Daud Seleman the IT expert who defended MCP during the election case. Is it not this Yao boy Daud Seleman who is the hero?

      Mudzikhala ngati wophunzira a Madalo

  23. Since the people of the North are “ungrateful ” and the DPP will withdraw development projects from the region then DPP should not campaign in the North. Apumbwa inu achabechabe…kuzolowela kuba tsiku la forty lakwana dzulo!
    The question I want to ask all Malawians is…if a party which most is reported to have won a fraudulent election…can we trust such kind of a party?

    1. Mpoto inantha. Inali non-go zone Northern block nthawi ya Chihana. Kumenko kuli apumbwa enieni akabaza ndi ma tenant kungowapatsa 1pin asanduka a DPP, kkkkk. Apumbwa enieni

  24. Graduate wa ku fake university of Jerusalem aka Cypress or Cyprus or whatever should be he last person to say this nonsense. What of his maliseche and singano nonsense? Is he not among the greediest of the greedy DPP operatives? I hope APM and the whole DPP is watching this. What matter is not a force of DPP horde but rallying the entire people behind DPP and APM.

  27. Unfortunately the five Lawyers who were sitting on the case are all Anti DPP.
    Two from Central
    One from the North
    One Muluzi sympathiser
    They were all blazing their guns destroying and bad mouthing MEC, they never highlighted the grey areas discovered during the trial. They used Social media judgements that we frequently read on facebook and I believe one of them was apdating the facebook using a fake name. Muluzi was notified of the judgement in advance, thats why he visited MCP last week to reconcile. The Panel was anti south and there is a deliberate ganging up against the South, unfortunately most of the Southerners are not aware of this plot. Yes there has been mistakes , but which Government has ever governed the country perfectly. DPP has to remove certain individuals in state house who have turned up to be millionaires from being an Army Soldier and Police officer. these are the people who are making Malawians angry

  28. Agalu angulu adyera awa. The country is burning in poverty while the ministers don’t even know what to do with their pocket full of stolen money. Munya manyi apumbwa inu. Simungawine chisankho. Be ready to give back what you stole. Nkholo za manu alomwe inu.

  32. Kkkkkkkkk. Let Chilima get the DPP presidency with Nankhumwa as his number 2 and you might just have a fighting chance. But insisting on using the nkhalamba and his idiot deputy and you will be FLOORED at the next election.

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