Mutharika shakes up DPP campaign team: Nankhumwa in charge of elections, Ben Phiri not included

With the May 21 tripartite elections just three weeks away, the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has set up two special stand-alone elections campaign committees to boost its campaign and ensure victory is right in their bag at the polls.

Mutharika  appoints DPP elections campaign committees, Nankhumwa chairs them

Local Government and Rural Development Minister and DPP vice president for Southern Region, Kondwani Nankhumwa, confirmed President Professor Arthur Mutharika had constituted special technical and operations committees in order to decentralize DPP campaign at national level.

The President has appointed him (Nankhumwa) to chair both committees.

Nankhumwa has become a political force to be reckoned with within the upper echelons of the ruling party.

He has recently been appointed by President Mutharika to represent him at various State functions, articulating the DPP’s vision for this country with above-average zeal and temerity.

In his message delivery, Nankhumwa outlines the development that the DPP government has accomplished under Mutharika in various sectors such as energy, infrastructure development, health, education, agriculture, among others.

According to Nankhumwa, the elections campaign committee members include senior DPP officials, technocrats as well as various opinion leaders.

He declined to mention names.

“There are many of us who sit on these committees. I would not be able to mention all the names,” Nankhumwa told Nyasa Times in an interview on Tuesday.

He said the President realizes that the DPP national secretariat and the party’s lower structures cannot fully implement the campaign alone and hence the need for stand-alone committees, which must complement the party’s efforts to reach out to each and every voter ahead of the polls next month.

Nankhumwa said, for example, the upcoming polls will be “youth elections” because the majority of registered voters are youths.

Women also make a significant number of those that have registered to vote in this election, added Nankhumwa.

“It is critical, therefore, for the DPP to come up with youth and women mobilization strategies in order to consolidate its winning chances. So, massive youth and women mobilization is one of the responsibilities of these committees. Obviously, we will also be looking at resource mobilization as well as other crucial areas that would constitute a successful elections campaign,” explained the VP-south.

He said President Mutharika is aware that most DPP politicians will be preoccupied with campaigning to win in their respective constituencies. Hence members of these stand-alone committees, most of who will not be running for any political office, will engage with different population groups and form relationships with them in order to ensure that  Mutharika and DPP indeed win with a landslide victory on May 21 2019.

As part of this ‘strategy’, the party has also identified “party linchpins” and appointed them as Zone Champions to manage, coordinate and oversee elections campaign in two districts each across the country.

According to Nankhumwa, in southern region the party has appointed Foster Khuleya as Zone Champion for Mwanza and Neno, Rashid Issa for Nsanje and Chikwawa, Brown Mpinganjira for Thyolo and Mulanje, Leston Mulli for Phalombe and Chiradzulu and a Mr. Busiri for Blantyre.

The DPP campaign was being spearheaded by Ben Phiri as director of elections, but following the appointment of Nankhumwa to be chair of the elections, he has technically been dropped.

This follows his recent  offensive remarks to the former First Lady Patricia Shanil Dzimbiri during a DPP campaign in Balaka.

Both the DPP and First Lady Gertrude Mutharika e reprimanded Phiri over the remarks in which he said former president Bakili Muluzi divorced Shanil because she is not good in bed.

He was also scandalised  by Sandra ‘Andu’ Ntonya a famous Manchester- based escort girl who posted on social media of his  x-rated pictures.

Andu, who normally films her “clients” posted the nude photos on Twitter and scandalised Phiri on Facebook through her ‘live’ shows.

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Clement
Clement
4 years ago

This is disgraceful for a man kneeling to a like this. This was happening in Kamuzu time, why should it be happening now. This is not ulemu but subordination. PLEASE ONLY KNEEL TO GOD not to another human being.

PHANANA
PHANANA
4 years ago

Yehova akutimenyera nkhondo, the president is blind he thinks like those pple they are sailing together the same boat, akhumudwa anthu amene ali nawo pafupi atamuthawa mark my words

nyalugwe
nyalugwe
4 years ago

They should have formed a third committee as a big number of voters will formed by “thieves”

Gule Wankulu
Gule Wankulu
4 years ago

Ben Phiri ammeta mavu… 👙 😜

Maunits
Maunits
4 years ago

Now with two before elections dpp yapakiradi I wonder why Malawians don’t want the name of dpp. Look mmeene abera ku MEC offices eeeeeesh these thieves better go please.

ndatopa
ndatopa
4 years ago

where have you been,? you just woke up from the deep slumber, you have a lot of work to catch up!!!

mulumuzana
mulumuzana
4 years ago

pano tikukamba za UTM a Malawi uniting factor….nkhani za DPP zitichedwetsa ….amangidwe komanso chuma chao chibwezedwe kwa a Malawi eni ake …..kutheratu DPP ngati makatani…..kuvotera DPP nkusalikonda dziko lathu

mtete
4 years ago

Mpaka kugwada abale? Can’t he offer a seat next to or opposite him? I wonder whether Trump’s or May’s ministers do that? That said, Nankhumwa is OK by me but he should tame the likes of Chimulirenji, Wa Jeffrey, Mchacha etc and should not allow Ben Phiri anywhere near a microphone.

MCP 2019 BOMA
MCP 2019 BOMA
4 years ago

MCP should borrow a leaf from the DPP strategic actions such as these. It is not enough just to hold rallies and whistle stop tours as May 21 approaches.

Baba Maduapera
Baba Maduapera
4 years ago
Reply to  MCP 2019 BOMA

MCP initiated this strategy long before the start of the campaign period. Awa a Dpp ndi a Utm akubwera pambuyo. I guess you havent been following what Chimwendo Banda and others have been doing through youth conferences and so forth. MCP is up to date in terms of strategy. Enawa ndiomwe azindikira kupelewera kwawo mochedwa. Can a sane person institute campaign teams two weeks before elections and expect the teams to succeed? Nzeru za ukalamba izi. Agwira njakata anzathuwa. Awona kuti campaign yawo siyikuyenda.

ananveruwa aku veterinary ukoo nsewu wa midima
ananveruwa aku veterinary ukoo nsewu wa midima
4 years ago

Kikikikikiki Shakeup kenako tinva kuti ineso sindiima ayima Ken MSONDA pa upresident chifukwatu ndiye campaign yatentha juuuuuuuu SKC buuuuuuuuuu mbwerekete

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