UTM official defects to DPP: Chimbanga nomadic politics continues

UTM Party deputy publicity secretary Leonard Chimbanga has defected to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Chimbanga made the announcement at a political rally President Peter Mutharika held in Chiradzulu after commissioning the Mulanje-Blantyre water project.

Chimbanga is councillor for Soche east, a position he won on UTM ticket.

“Let me say it here that President Mutharika won the election. In the run up to the election, we heard from the opposition that the DPP could not rig the elections, they are amateurs so how come the same opposition is crying foul now,” said Chimbanga.

This was a direct reference to UTM president Saulos Chilima who used to tell people to go and vote enmasse assuring them that the new voting system made it impossible to rig the elections.

 There was no immediate reaction from the UTM but the DPP regional governor for the south Charles Mchacha welcomed Chimbanga and others who have defected to the party from various opposition parties.

He claimed over 700 people have defected to the ruling party.

Chimbanga has been very nomadic politician and has changed almost all major parties. This is his return to DPP the party he joined after he resigned from the political movement Transformation Alliance (TA) which was led by Moses Kunkuyu.

Before joining Kunkuyu’s group, Chimbanga contested for parliamentary seat in 2014 under United Democratic Front (UDF) ticket but did not succeed.