Former President Bakili Muluzi flew into Lilongwe Thursday morning for a meeting with President Peter Mutharika over resignation calls for beleaguered Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Jane Ansah.
Muluzi was surrounded by heavy security after alighting from a Malawian Airlines plane and drove to his Area 9 residence in Lilongwe.
He could not go straight to Kamuzu Palace as security officials were trying to check the situation as angry protesters were demonstrating going to the same Kamuzu Palace.
Ironically, Muluzi who is offering dialogue between the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) and government, has been included on the placards of demonstrators demanding that he pays back the K1.7 billion that he allegedly stole during his 10 year tenure as President. The corruption case against Muluzi is in its 13th year in court and is yet to be concluded.
Muluzi was driven in a private vehicle and used the back gate at Kamuzu Palace to meet Mutharika late in the afternoon.
Insiders said the two did not agree on the removal of Ansah with Mutharika fearing that once Ansah steps down “the boys will turn to me to demand that I also resign”.
On Tuesday, Muluzi also failed to convince HRDC leadership to suspend the demonstrations for 7 days as he meets authorities on the issue.
HRDC went ahead with the demonstrations on Thursday and marched up to 100 metres before Kamuzu Palace to present their petition.
HRDC has vowed that they will be holding demonstrations every Tuesday and Thursday for the next three weeks until Ansah resigns before embarking on other strategies to oust Ansah from her position.
“We will not stop these demonstrations until Jane Ansah resigns,” declared HRDC Chairperson Timothy Mtambo.
