Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Peter Mutharika has said he is still consulting and praying on what decision to make following endorsements by some party members across the country.
The party leader said this through his spokesperson Shadric Namalomba Monday in Blantyre, where party leaders unveiled Thompson Kamangira as the newly appointed regional governor for the Southern Region.
“The president has been hearing about the endorsements but he will make his stand in due course because he is still consulting and praying to God to show him direction on the matter.
“The president is happy that it is people from remote areas to decision-makers who are endorsing him. He is humbled to learn that the people believe that he is the only one who can take Malawians out of the current problems. Once he is done with consultations and prayer to God, he will make his stand clear,” Namalomba said.
Endorsements and clear divisions are the order of the day in the former ruling party, with some, especially backbenchers in Parliament, calling for an early convention to decide who will be the torchbearer of the party in the 2025 presidential election.
For example, a group of DPP members from the Northern Region, led by the party’s vice president in the region Goodall Gondwe, two weeks ago endorsed APM but another group led by Ken Msonda said the Northern Region has not decided on who will carry the party’s flag.
Another group comprising some DPP members of Parliament, led by Nicholas Dausi, said no one has been endorsed.
However, during the same presser, one of the members Werani Chilenga endorsed Kondwani Nankhumwa, the party’s vice president for the Southern Region, for 2025 presidency.
At Monday’s press briefing, members of the party, notably district governors, endorsed Mutharika and the main slogan that echoed among the members was ‘APM Ayimenso’ [Mutharika should stand again].
However, political analyst George Phiri has said leaders should be elected at a convention.
He added that the silence by Mutharika shows that the DPP leader is interested in running for the presidency.
“After all these endorsements, he must have said something but the silence means that he wants to stand,” he said.
Kamangira, who has replaced Charles Mchacha, described his appointment as an honour, adding that he will work hard so that the party returns to power in 2025.
“I will work hard. I will go everywhere in areas under my jurisdiction to sell this party. I will make sure that DPP returns to power come 2025,” he said.
DPP, which was in an electoral partnership with the United Democratic Front in the court-ordered June 23 2020 presidential election, was the main contender to the Tonse Alliance
