Omar join forces with Lucius Banda to fight UDF-DPP union: Prepared to give Mutharika ‘rude shock’

United Democratic Front (UDF) first vice-president Iqbar Omar who resigned from the party after he was snubbed as running of Atupele Muluzi in 2014 says he is back to fight the party’s political relationship with ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) .

Omar said  he is partnering with Lucius Banda to mount a fight against the DPP-UDF union, saying even though President Peter Mutharika declared that it will “never end” they will give him a a rude shock.

The UDF and DPP became bedfellows soon after the 2014 Tripartite Elections when President Peter Mutharika drafted into his first Cabinet the UDF leader, Atupele Muluzi. Muluzi is currently Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.

The President  said he was pleased that the DPP and UDF working relationship continues to grow from strength to strength.

“This relationship will never end,” declared President Mutharika. “It will continue from 2014, 2019, 2024, 2038 and thereafter.”

Muluzi’s party moved from the opposition to government benches in the 193-member National Assembly.

Only Balaka North legislator Lucius Banda defied the party’s decision and is campaigning against the union.

And Omar said they are prepared to fight and give Mutharika and Atupele a rude shock of their political lives.

“The UDF has no memorandum of understanding with DPP.  All supporters of UDF are very shocked. We don’t want our party to die,” said Omar.

“UDF is a party for the people not an individual,” he said.

UDF spokesman Ken Ndanga  dismissed Omar and a group of people organised by Lucius Banda  in Balaka to protest against DPP-UDF alliance,  saying they were not UDF members.

“ Those people are not UDF. Any person can wear yellow [the colour that defines UDF], but that does not mean they are UDF,” said Ndanga.

Ndanga said UDF has never discussed or indicated that it would contest the 2019 polls in partnership with DPP, saying a party national convetion will decide after consultations with leaders at all levels and party membership.

“Working together in Parliament is not an elections’ issue. The elections will take place in 2019 and by then the UDF would have had conducted a process of identifying its leader through a convention and the NEC [national executive committee] will decide when to meet,” he said.

Ndanga also said the party has always been guided by its constitution on the issue and there is no departure from that and that UDF member is aware of the party’s activities.