An independent candidate in Mzimba Central constituency parliamentary elections has claimed that the ruling People’s Party is forcing him to withdraw from the race as one way of giving PP an upper hand.
Mr. Joseph Mavuto Kachali told the media that a People’s Party delegation met him at a motel in the district to persuade him to pave way for PP candidate, Mr. Aram Beza.
During PP primaries Mr. Kachali lost to Mr. Beza by a margin of about 50 votes and later turned into an Independent candidate claiming something fishy happened during the primaries.
“A group comprising of Mr. Zikhale Ng’oma, Reverend Brown Soko and Inkosi Chindi met me at Mame motel where they forced me to withdraw so that their candidate should have an upper hand,” said Kachali.
“But I am not withdrawing I will give the ruling party candidate a good run for his money.”
But Chairperson for the PP campaign in the by-elections Mr. Ralph Kasambara, who is also Malawi’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, described the claim as false.
“This is not true. We are forcing no one to withdraw,” said Kasambara. “If anything it is him who has always wanted to meet PP officials
Meanwhile over 10 cabinet Ministers including Dr. Cassim Chilumpha, Mr. Ken Kandodo, Mr. John Bande, Mr. Sidik Mia, Mr. Ken Lipenga, Mr. Eunice Kazembe, Mr. Ulemu Chilapondwa and Mrs. Gotani have camped in Mzimba conducting campaign meetings.
