Uladi, Jooma demand two PP ministers at meeting with Mutharika

Fired People’s Party (PP) acting president Uladi Mussa, who was also the party’s vice-president responsible for the Central Region, on Sunday night has an audience with President Peter Mutharika at Kamuzu Palace in  Lilongwe on possible political liason with a section of PP members, Nyasa Times understands.

Mussa was accompanied by PP legislator and spokesman for finance in parliament Ralph Jooma.

Details are emerging that  the two told President Mutharika that they  will refuse to form a working relationship with the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) unless two ministers are appointed from PP.

PP has demanded portfolio of Finance, Economic Planning and Development currently held by Goodall Gondwe to be given to Jooma and that Mussa should take the post of Minister of Justice currently held by Samuel Tembenu or Minister of Agriculture  held by Joseph Mwanamvekha.

The meeting between Mutharika  with Mussa and Jooma happened after an afternoon session the President had with PP legislators.

“Unless two PP ministers were appointed in the executive we would not be prepared to help DPP hold on to power,” a senior PP official close to the talks told Nyasa Times.

He said the party is not interested in a looser arrangement with DPP.

“We’re not going to put ourselves in a position where we are supporting a government position from the opposition benches and getting the share of the blame when things go wrong. We  want to come in and help to change the incompetence perception and  be part of the credit when things go right,” said the official.

If it comes that no agreement can be struck, the PP is prepared to sit on the opposition benches.

However, the alliance will exclude PP’s founder Joyce Banda.

Ibrahim Matola the secretary general of PP refused to comment.

PP national executive committee (NEC) fired Mussa from his positions in the party following recommendations made by the party’s disciplinary committee over his sentiments that the party’s president Joyce Banda’s term had expired.

DPP feels like most of the PP members including Mussa and Jooma were founding members of the Mutharika led party.

The DPP  director of elections Kondwani Nankhumwa has been courting PP to bring  on fold his support base in the former ruling party for an alliance.

The DPP-PP alliance will also undermine the importance of United Democratic Front (UDF) led by Minister Atupele Muluzi.

DPP seeks to consolidate southern region vote to fend off support from opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

A latest report by London-based influential intelligence publication  the Africa Confidential  painted a grim picture for DPP in the run up to 2019 elections, saying its administration is riddled with widespread corruption,  nepotism and infighting.

 Africa Confidential is one of the longest-established specialist publications on Africa, with a considerable reputation for being first with in-depth news and analysis on significant political, economic and security developments across the continent.

But government spokesman and Minister of Information and Communications, Nicolas Dausi,  s rejected the report  titled ‘Mutharika’s uncertain future’ as “unfair  and baseless.”