Richard Chimwendo Banda has told Lazarus Chakwera’s critics to leave the MCP, but Sylvester Ayuba James has fired back with a stinging reminder that could deepen the party’s internal war.
Ayuba, the Nkhotakota Central lawmaker, has declared that he will not abandon the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), accusing some party leaders of behaving as though they inherited it from their parents.
His response follows remarks by Chimwendo on Sunday, when the MCP secretary general challenged members who reject Chakwera’s leadership to leave the party rather than fuel internal divisions.
Speaking at a rally organised to welcome Dowa West legislator Aida Mchenga, who won her seat as an independent candidate, Chimwendo accused some legislators of insulting Chakwera and undermining party unity.
He said those who could not respect or work with the former president should form their own political movement instead of remaining in the MCP.
But Ayuba has rejected the ultimatum, arguing that calls for critics to establish their own party or join another movement will not drive them out of the MCP.
In a biting response posted on Facebook, Ayuba dismissed Chimwendo’s call for dissenting members to leave, insisting that the party does not belong to the secretary general and his allies.
“Sitikupita kulikonse mafana. Tili mu MCP momwemu. Chipani anayambitsa ndi anthu a ku mpoto ichi. Inunso sichanu. Munangokhaka anthu adyera basi,” Ayuba wrote.
The lawmaker also turned his fire towards the party’s political future, predicting that the current leadership’s approach would leave it struggling to return to power in 2030.
“If you insist on your path of disgrace, ife 2030 todzakhalabe osangalala because we will be vindicated. Tidzakhala tikuseka koma moyo wathu ukuyendabe bwino, inu m’boma mutalephera kubwerera,” he wrote.
Ayuba further insisted that he had nothing to lose by remaining in the party, accusing some leaders of acting as though the MCP belonged to their families.
“We are not going to lose anything at all, koma chipani sitingachisiye chifukwa si cha amanu,” he added.
He challenged those who disputed the party’s history to read about Malawi’s past, arguing that its ownership could not be claimed by a select group of leaders.