Embattled district chairmen for the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) have given former Party Secretary General Gustave Kaliwo a 7-day ultimatum to call for a party convention.

The district chairmen led by Mr. Kakhome said this in a media briefing held in the capital Lilongwe on Thursday where they trashed a recent convention where Dr. Lazarus Chakwera was elected as the party’s torchbearer in the 2019 tripartite election.

The district chairmen described the convention organized by Chakwera and his team as illegal.

“Today, we leaders from all districts in all regions have assembled to tell the nation of Malawi the future of our Malawi Congress Party in regards to the abomination done by Dr Lazarus Chakwera for cheating Malawians that Malawi Congress Party had a convention from 12-14th may 2018!

“As real owners of the party, we want to tell every Malawian that we do not recognise the meeting of Dr Lazarus Chakwera with his counterparts as a convention of the Malawi Congress Party,” reads in part the statement by Mr. Kakhome.

Kakhome said the Executive Committee that was chosen on 9th August, 2013, did not take part in this latest meeting hence calling the convention illegal.

“Notable members who weren’t part of this include Secretary General, First Deputy President, Treasurer General and Deputy Treasurer General.

“Delegates at the convention including the aspirants were people of the Poeple’s Party who are in no way supposed to take part in matters of the Malawi Congress Party. The list of the selected NEC members is a clear indication that they are all PP members including Dr Lazarus Chakwera who on this day evidently joined PP,” added the statement.

According to the district chairmen: “The procedure to call the emergency convention leaves a lot to be desired as it did not follow the right protocol. According to section 40 of the Malawi Congress Party constitution, only half of executive members from the districts have the powers to call for an emergency convention.”