“I was approached on Friday by Mutharika to be his running mate,” says Chilima.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) running mate Saulos Chilima who is also Airtel Malawi’s Manager has disclosed that Mutharika approached him on Friday last week to be his running mate.

Speaking at a press briefing at Ryalls hotel in Blantyre after submitting their papers at COMESA hall for the May elections, Chilima said that the DPP leader had approached him to ask if he could partner with him and he had then made some consultations before accepting the offer.

“I consulted my friends, colleagues, family, traditional leaders and spiritual leaders if it was the right decision for me to take and they endorsed it and, thereby, leaving me with no choice than to take it as well,” said Chilima to the media and some DPP heavyweights who had gathered at his first ever press briefing as a running mate to the DPP leader.

He further disclosed that he was now going to quit his job at Airtel and relinquish his positions in some other boards that needed not the interference of politics and concentrate on campaigning.

Asked if he would contest as an MP, Chilima said that he was not going to do that but would support the one standing on a DPP ticket in the constituency he hails from.

Chilima, who turns 41 in two days time said that his campaign would be issue based and would not let himself stoop so low so as to argue with other people on personal issues.