DPP lambasts Jeffrey wa Jeffrey over fresh calls for convention

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has lambasted fresh calls for convention by the party’s Secretary General Grezelder Jeffrey.

The party last year fired Jeffrey together with leader opposition Kondwani Nankhumwa, Jappie Mhango and others for allegedly calling for Peter Mutharika’s retirement and an early convention.

The fired members had to seek for court intervention for them to be reinstated.

Jeffrey wa Jeffrey has since re-ignited the debate after calling for the party convention again.

But in a statement, the party’s spokesperson Brown Mpinganjira has trashed the calls.

“The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its entire Leadership at all levels would like to disassociate itself from the contents of what has been described as a Press Statement dated 5th January 2021, released by Ms Gelzeder Jeffrey in which she is purporting to speak for the DPP.

“The DPP is a properly structured political party which, when it speaks, its voice represents a collective expression of its membership through the Central Committee, the only body under our Constitution which is mandated to make decisions in between political conferences. In this respect, our decisions are never punctuated by the “I” will do this or that, as will be seen in the so-called Press Statement released by Ms Jeffrey,” said Mpinganjira.

He added: “The DPP would like to advise and remind all its membership that the roadmap to the next Political Conference or Convention was clearly spelt out by the Party President.

“To put matters into their proper perspective, the current office bearers of the DPP were elected at its Convention in 2018.”

“The term of office bearers is five years and it is neither determined by a loss nor a win of a general election. The current Leadership is therefore properly and constitutionally discharging its mandate. No decision has been made by the Central Committee to curtail the constitutional term. The statements made by Ms Jeffrey are, therefore, an expression of her fanciful wishes and her continued attempts to undermine the Leadership.”

Mpinganjira has since described Jeffrey’s remarks as personal.

“Ms Jeffrey has, of late and by her own choice ceased to act on behalf of the Party or promote its legitimate collective interests, but has, instead, chosen to serve the interests of individuals for reasons best known to her. Her position as Secretary General of the Party can only be ascribed to her because of the injunction she obtained,” said Mpinganjira.

He added: “If Ms Jeffrey was properly exercising her functions as Secretary General, she would have recognized the current Agenda and timetable of Party activities before blurting out about the Convention. Sadly, even now, as well as before, she is so obsessed with the Party Convention and the retirement of Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika. All loyal members of the Party who have no personal agenda to drive have accepted the roadmap that has been set by the Party Leadership, namely, to have the Party properly re-organized, a task being undertaken by the Functional Review Committee.

“We would like to challenge Ms Jeffrey, that the Agenda of the DPP, will be driven by its entire membership through the Central Committee and not those who want to serve their own self interests. We call upon her not to overrate her position or powers of that position because a truly functioning Secretary General can only do so with the sanction of the Leadership, which Leadership Ms Jeffrey has so far despised and not given due respect to.”

Mpinganjira has since urged party members to ignore Jeffrey’s statement.