Masangwi says Lhomwe Chief Ngolongoliwa architect of Chilima presidential bid

United Transformation Movement (UTM) National Chairman Noel Masangwi has reiterated what acting Secretary General Patricia Kaliati said recently that the Lhomwe Paramount Chief Ngolongoliwa  is the one who hatched the idea to have Vice President Salous Chilima as presidential candidate in 2019.

Speaking at Mgowi primary school ground where UTM held a rally, Masangwi said Ngolongoliwa invited him to his residence where laid down the proposal to change the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)  presidential candidate because Malawians were disatisfied with performance of President Peter Mutharika.

” It was Chief Ngongoliwa who started this issue for us to start running around and persuade Dr Chilima to stand in 2019.

“Chief Ngongoliwa was clear that our current President Peter Mutharika was failing his duties and his leadership failure was becoming an embarrassment to the Lhomwe people and the nation,” said Masangwi at the rally.

He said later Paramount Chief Ngongoliwa invited him again to this residence together with Mulanje West legistlator Patricia Kaliati  and and Mulhako wa Alhomwe chairperson Leston Mulli where he repeated the proposal to replace Mutharika with Chilima as DPP candidate.

Masangwi said after the meeeting, the team was tasked to meet Chilima at his residence in Area 12 in Lilongwe to convey the proposal and plead with him to become presidential candidate.

He said Chilima at first rejected the proposal and demanded to talk directly with Ngolongoliwa.

Masangwi said Chilima only accepted the proposal after the high powered Lhomwe delegation visited him three times at his Area 12 residence.

According to Masangwi, Mulli later chickened out of the issue after he received K3 billion compensation from government.

He said Mulli also went to Chief Ngolongoliwa and palm oiled him to change heart and not back the proposal to change leadership in DPP.

Masangwi said Mulli is a greedy business man who has a winner takes all altitude so that poor Lhomwes should continue to beg from him and glorify him.

He said Mutharika is a good leader but has falied to run the country because he is surrounded by “greedy and crooked people” who are misleading him.

In his speach, Chilima concurred with Masangwi’, saying what he said was the truth.

Chilima said if DPP continues to dispute the issue that Ngolongoliwa is the one who initiated the proposal to change the leadership in DPP he will reveal the remaining details of what actually transpired.

” What Honourable Masangwi has said is true. But if they will continue to dispute this I will be forced to hold a press conference and reveal the rest.  You want to potray us as being bad and rebellious people when actually it is you who approached us,” he said.

But Ngolongoliwa said he has never been involved in the formation of any political movement, not even UTM, stressing that doing so would be playing outside his jurisdiction as a traditional leader.

“I had nothing to do with that political grouping,” said the Paramount Chief, who is backed by the cultural ethnic group Mulhako wa Alhomwe.

Paramount Chief confirmed he had  attended a  meeting together with Kaliati and Masangwi, but said the meetings he and the two were present had different agendas, which were not political.

Ngolongoliwa is one chief close to the President.

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