Mmadi contradicts Mtafu on arrests over Tippex: Ansah’s turn Wednesday

A commissioner of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Yahama Mmadi, who appeared before Parliament’s Public Appointments Committee (PAC) inquiry on Tuesday, contradicted his fellow commissioner Elvey Mtafu on the arrest of officials suspected to be behind the Tippex use.

Mtafu told the inquiry on Monday that some officials who were using the correction fluid Tippex when the law does not allow them to amend figures at their level and at the constituency or district levels, were arrested and are facing prosecution.

But Mmadi, who took an oath with a holy Koran as a Muslim, was asked if electoral officials who used Tippex were disciplined either by arrest or dismissal.

In his response Mmadi said he isn’t aware that there are any arrests made while Mtafu said they were arrested and their cases are running in the courts.

Commissioner Mmadi said the commission did not break the law by announcing results using altered documents.

He said MEC went ahead to announce results of the Tippexed presidential elections because people wanted them.

The inquiry follows a landmark ruling the court delivered on February 3 nullifying the May 21 2019 presidential election and ordering a fresh poll within 150 days, citing anomalies and irregularities.

Chairperson Jane Ansah is scheduled to appear before the parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday.

Ansah, a judge of the Supreme Court of Malawi, is expected to be bombarded with questions on her bordering on integrity as commissioner Mary Nkosi, a former Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) deputy governor appointed commissioner on June 6 2016, told the inquiry that many key decisions were made by Ansah, chief elections officer Sam Alfandika and “some commissioners” without the knowledge of other commissioners.

Nkosi revealed that she and the other commissioners were made to sign for presidential election results a day after Ansah had already declared President Peter Mutharika of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as the winner.

In the current commission, appointed on June 6 2016, DPP has four representatives in Jean Mathanga, Moffat Banda, the Reverend Killion Mgawi and the Reverend Clifford Baloyi while United Democratic Front (UDF) has Yahaya M’madi and Elvey Mtafu. People’s Party (PP) is represented by Linda Kunje and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Nkosi.

The Electoral Commission Act empowers the President, subject to the Constitution and in consultation with the leaders of political parties represented in the National Assembly, to appoint suitably qualified persons to be members of the commission on such terms and conditions as the Public Appointments Committee of Parliament shall determine.