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The arrest of Vice-President Cassim Chilumpha, who is also UDF acting chairman, has created leadership confusion in the party which is failing to identify his temporary replacement.
The party’s spokesperson Sam Mpasu said the chairmanship is being rotated among himself, secretary general Kennedy Makwangwala and the party’s director of economic affairs Friday Jumbe.
“[Since the arrests] we have been having Nec meetings and sometimes it is the secretary general Hon. [Kennedy] Makwangwala who chairs, myself or Hon [Friday] Jumbe who is the party’s director of economic affairs,” said Mpasu.
Chilumpha was acting on behalf of UDF chair Bakili Muluzi who is currently in the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
Mpasu claimed the arrests of Chilumpha and others have no effect on the party.
“There isn’t really an adverse effect because usually deputies take over,” said Mpasu citing the taking over of the party’s leadership in the South by Abubakar Mbaya when John Chikakwiya was arrested as an example. “In fact, this is not the first time our officials are getting arrested; it doesn’t mean the party is finished,” he said.
Mpasu described the arrests as “a desperate move by a desperate man who is leading a desperate government”.
“The government is actually afraid of UDF to the extent of fabricating charges against innocent people,” said Mpasu.
Ten more UDF officials and supporters were arrested on Wednesday in connection with Chilumpha’s treason case.
Mbaya and the party’s regional secretary McDonald Symon were also arrested on the same treason charge early this year.
But Mbaya was released by the High Court which ruled he had no case to answer. Symon is still on remand answering a sedition charge.
Chilumpha was arrested last Friday together with Rashid Nembo and Yusuf Matumula.
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