Mulanje Limbuli  MP Chida denies UTM link: ‘DPP colleagues behind the allegations’

Member of Parliament for Mulanje Limbuli constituency, Daudi Chida has reacted to allegations that he has defected to the newly formed United Transformation Movement (UTM).

Chida, who was elected on an independent ticket,  has been a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

His  reaction follows an alleged Sunday Times Radio broadcast that he had joined the ranks of politicians that have defected from the ruling DPP to the UTM.

According to Chida, Times Radio on Sunday announced that his defection to the UTM had further weakened the ruling DPP which has already seen some of its inner circle defecting to the walk away UTM headed by vice president Saulos Chilima.

“It is not true that I have joined the United Transformation Movement. People that are perpetuating these lies are colleagues from the DPP who are afraid of the popularity base I am building in my constituency. Their network believes that if they label me UTM they are going to disappoint my supporters,” said Chida in a Wednesday interview.

Mulanje Limbuli is one of the DPP strong holds in Mulanje district. The constituency has recently seen Chida strongly contesting for the DPP candidacy for the constituency with former parliamentarian for Frazer Niholia.

Sources close to the two factions have since said that the two rivals are going to face stiff competition in the party primaries.

According to Emmanuel Bambala, councilor for Limbuli ward, the people that are saying that Chida has joined the UTM are failing to realize that Malawi is a nation that comprises of many tribes and are trying to put a tribal element in the ruling party.

“Of course Chida joined the DPP as an independent, but he has stood by the DPP development ideologies and it would be unfair to associate him with the UTM because he originally won the Mulanje Limbuli constituency on an independent ticket,” said Bambala.

However, Chipiriro Malindi, one of Niholia’s supporters, said that the speculation that Chida has joined the UTM are emerging from the fact that Chida was close to the UTM Secretary General Patricia Kaliati prior to the 2014 tripartite elections.

“Some people have been alleging that Chida was very close to Kaliati prior the 2014 tripartite elections. I think this speculation is coming from this alleged relationship,” said Malindi.

Niholia  could not be reached for comment. He is a Malawi consul general in Johannesburg

The Mulanje Limbuli constituency has seen an inflow of social and economic heavy weight aspiring to represent the constituency in the 2019 tripartite elections. Notable among then are Niholia, Chida and Dr. George Chimatiro.

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