High Court Judge Howard Pemba has granted an injunction to the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party( DPP) deputy director of political affairs Billy Malata stopping the national governing council ( NGC) meeting slated for tomorrow.
The meeting, which was to be held at Nkopola lodge, was to enable delegates to appoint dates for the elective convention.
The injunction restrains the party’s secretary general Grezelder Jeffrey, it’s spokesperson Shadric Namalomba and the DPP from holding the NGC until a further order of the court.
In his application, Malata argued that the people who are being invited to attend are more than the people recognised under the DPP constitution to be members of the NGC.
Early this month, the party announced the NGC meeting which, apart from determining the dates for the convention, was to clear some issues surrounding it’s leadership and constitution.
“In exercise of the powers vested in the central committee under Article 9 [5][d] of the DPP Constitution, to set the dates for meetings of the national governing council (NGC), the central committee resolved that the party shall hold the national governing council meeting on June 24 2023 at Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi.
“The NGC will decide the dates for the extraordinary and elective conventions. Members of the NGC are hereby invited to attend this important meeting,” the party said
The functional review committee, headed by DPP vice-president for Eastern Region Bright Msaka, reviewed the party’s constitution.
The committee proposed that the party should only have two vice-presidents, moving away from the current system where it has four regional vice-presidents.
The new constitution also proposes that new members should be paying a joining fee determined by the NGC, renewable every two years, and that any member who voluntarily leaves the DPP for another political party shall not be allowed to re-join the DPP.
In April, DPP Publicity Secretary Nicholas Dausi said the party risks leadership vacuum if it fails to hold a convention by July 2, this year.
Addressing journalists in Lilongwe, Dausi said that according to the party constitution, all elective positions will fall vacant on July 2, when their term ends.
“The best we can do is to hold a convention before July 2, otherwise, we will all be mere members,” said Dausi
