DPP gurus intensifiy campaign for Mutharika to get convention nod as torchbearer

Top leaders of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the north say they have intensified their campaign to maintain the 79-year old President Peter Mutharika as presidential candidate in next year’s Tripartite Elections, saying the campaign has even gone to district level.

Minister of Transport and Public Works, Jappie Mhango, who is also DPP campaign director,  presidential aide Symon Vuwa Kaunda and party regional governor for the north Kenneth Sanga took NkhataBay by storm on Monday when they jointly held a rally at the Boma after Mhango opened a jetty.

“Professor Peter Mutharika will win the party presidency because we have taken the campaign to district level,” said Mhango.

He said DPP is sticking with Mutharika, an accomplished  retired  law professor, who has been in power since winning 2014 elections.

 This is the first time that top party officials are conceding that State Vice-President Saulos Chilima would challenge Mutharika for party presidency.

Kaunda said it would be a gamble to entrust Chilima with the candidacy of DPP, saying .“perhaps as a running-mate he would fit into the bill.”

The DPP is reconstituting district, removing those committee members deemed sympathetic to Chilima.

President Peter Mutharika, the brother of Malawi’s former leader, was declared the winner of the 2014 disputed presidential election after garnering 36.4% of the votes cast.

He came ahead of Lazarus Chakwera  (Malawi Congress Party ) who obtained 27.8% of the vote and former president Joyce Banda (Peoples Party) who won 20.2%.

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