Politics

Malawi holds general election amidst economic hardship and fuel shortages

Published

9 hours ago

September 16, 2025

Malawi voted in general elections Tuesday, with the incumbent president and his predecessor vying for a second chance to govern the largely poor southern African nation, battered by soaring costs and fuel shortages.

Thousands of people waited under trees or outside schools at outdoor polling stations across the mostly rural country for a vote focused on the faltering economy of one of the poorest countries in the world.

Seventeen candidates are running for president, but observers say the race is between outgoing Lazarus Chakwera and Peter Mutharika, who also duelled in the 2019 vote that was nullified over tampering and followed by a rerun.

Chakwera, a 70-year-old pastor, and law professor Mutharika, 85, have campaigned on improving the agriculture-dependent economy battered by drought in 2024 and a 2023 cyclone.

In urban centres, many young people—who make up around 60 per cent of the 7.2 million registered voters — expressed a desire for change.

“There is anger in us,” said Ettah Nyasulu, 28, a waitress in the capital Lilongwe, before heading to vote.

“I want to change this government. I want young people to be in good jobs, to have opportunities to change our lives,” she said.

Inflation is running at above 27 per cent, while the costs of living surged 75 per cent in 12 months, according to reports citing the Centre for Social Concern, a non-governmental organisation.

Around 70 per cent of the majority young population of 21 million people live in poverty, according to the World Bank.

Chakwera stood in line to vote with hundreds of locals at his humble home village of Malembo, about 56 kilometres (35 miles) northeast of Lilongwe, with soldiers standing guard nearby.

“Sometimes he helps us by giving us maize. He is our saviour,” said Tilore Chimalizeni, 58, a farmer and single mother of four from the village who also cares for two orphans.

‘Disappointments’

The election is also for seats in parliament and local wards. Polling stations close at 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) and ballot counting starts immediately, with the results expected as early as Thursday.

With a winner of the presidential ballot requiring more than 50 per cent of votes, a run-off within 60 days is likely.

Voting was proceeding smoothly with all the more than 15,000 polling booths open, Malawi Election Commission chief Annabel Mtalimanja told reporters mid-morning.

“It’s a very peaceful election process. People have gathered in large numbers,” Malembo MP Lawrence Chaziya told AFP.

Chakwera and Mutharika have both been accused of cronyism, corruption, and economic mismanagement in their first terms, but other candidates—including the only woman, former president Joyce Banda—did not appear to be attracting significant support, according to polls.

Voters are confronted with a choice between “two disappointments,” said political commentator Chris Nhlane.

“Both men embody unfulfilled potential and dashed hopes, yet Malawians must still choose a lesser liability between them,” he told AFP.

Chakwera, from the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) that led the nation to independence from Britain in 1964, has pleaded in his campaign for continuity to “finish what we started,” flaunting several infrastructure projects.

“There have been complaints about the cost of living, the lack of resources, and food scarcity,” he told a rally on Saturday in Lilongwe, a MCP support base.

“I have heard all of them, and I have taken your words to heart. We will fix things,” he said.

Chakwera was elected with around 59 per cent of the vote in the 2020 rerun, but five years later, there is some nostalgia for Mutharika’s “relatively better administration,” said analyst Mavuto Bamusi.

“Chakwera’s incumbency advantage has been significantly messed up by poor economic performance,” he said.

“I want to rescue this country,” Mutharika told a cheering weekend rally of his Democratic Progressive Party in the second city of Blantyre, the heartland of the party that has promised a “return to proven leadership” and economic reform.

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Politics

Rivers APC courts Fubara ahead of power handover

Published

9 hours ago

September 16, 2025

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress is making moves to bring the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara into its party as the state prepares for a handover ceremony.

APC spokesman in Rivers, Darlington Nwauju, made the call on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

Nwauju said. “If I were the governor of Rivers State, on my return on Thursday, I would announce my defection to the All Progressives Congress.

“I think the governor should join the APC, and we would gladly receive the governor into our party.”

When asked if Fubara would lead the APC in Rivers if he defected, Nwauju responded that it was automatic.

“By the convention of our party, if he joins the All Progressives Congress, he becomes the leader of the party,” he added.

Nwauju also spoke about the administration of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd.), who has overseen the state for the past six months.

“APC has not officially demanded that Ibas give an account of his stewardship for the past six months.

“The budget approval he got was from the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. There is a committee from the House of Representatives overseeing the period of emergency.

“I do expect that the committee should be able to do due diligence, come up with that report, and tell Nigerians what they found out. It is one of their core mandates in the business of legislations and lawmaking,” he stated.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu and Fubara are expected back in the country on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s return to democratic rule in Rivers State.

Tinubu cut short his vacation in France and will return to Abuja, while Fubara is due back from London.

Their arrival comes as the state administrator intensifies preparations for Thursday’s handover, which will mark the end of emergency rule in Rivers.

Tinubu had travelled out of Nigeria on September 4 for his annual holiday in France and the UK, originally planned to last until September 10, but ended his trip earlier than scheduled.

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Politics

PHOTOS: Tsunami hits APC, PDP as over 10,000 members defect to ADC in Benue

Published

2 days ago

September 14, 2025

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

No fewer than 10,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and other political parties have defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.

The mass defection took place on Saturday, May 13, 2025, during the official unveiling of the ADC in Agatu by the Benue State Chairman of the party, Rt. Hon. Terngu Tsegba.

The ceremony, held in Agatu LGA of the Benue South Senatorial District, witnessed a large turnout of decampees, political supporters, and admirers of Sir John Ngbede, a prominent political leader in Agatu.

Ngbede also donated a building to serve as the new secretariat of the party in the area.

Speaking at the event, Tsegba commended the leadership of the party in Agatu for organizing what he described as the largest unveiling event in the state.

He praised Ngbede for his role in mobilizing grassroots support, describing him as a leader whose political influence continues to shape the direction of the local government.

He assured the people that the ADC is committed to inclusiveness, stability, and internal democracy, expressing confidence that the party would win all elective seats in the LGA.

On his part, Ngbede, a former Commissioner of Water Resources in Benue State, ex-Chairman of Agatu LGA, former State PDP Chairman, and Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2023 elections, was formally unveiled as the leader of ADC in Agatu.

In his remarks, Ngbede declared the dominance of PDP and APC in Agatu to be over, a statement that drew loud cheers and solidarity chants from the crowd.

The event also featured the commissioning of the new party office, further underscoring the ADC’s growing presence and organization in Agatu. Party leaders noted that the ADC remains focused on grassroots engagement and community development initiatives.

Dignitaries at the event included the State Secretary, Rt. Hon. Samson Okwu; immediate past PDP Chairman, Hon. Chris Adaba Aba (Mad Lion); former Commissioner of Finance and ADC frontline leader, Hon. David Adejoh Olofu; CPC Chairman, Alhaji Salisu Sule Odaliko; former Labour Party Governorship Candidate, Rt. Hon. Herman Hembe; Pro-tem State Woman Leader, Chief Mrs. Abeje Egwa; Prof. Salifu David, Chairman of Apa Legacy Sustainability Initiative; Engr. Solomon Eigege; and several other stakeholders.

Others present were Hon. Apochi Nelson Owoicho, Hon. Ekoja Bashir, Hon. Abu Echo, Hon. Owoicho Oyi, Hon. Henry Otache, Hon. Otokpa, Hon. Joseph Ngbede, Hon. Philip Ebeyakwu, leader of the decampees Hon. Moses Agbo, Comr. Abu E. Adegahi, Engr. Nasir Abubakar, Hon. Usman Echono (Ochacho), Hon. Ibrahim Yusuf (10 10), Hon. Zack Rice, Hon. David Oge, Comr. Okoh Lawrence, Comr. Dan Atayi, Comr. Hwande T.C., among others.

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Politics

INEC shortlists 14 new party applicants, disqualifies 157

Published

5 days ago

September 12, 2025

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that 14 political associations have scaled the first hurdle in their bid for registration as political parties, while 157 others failed to meet the requirements.

The decision was taken at the commission’s regular meeting on Thursday, during which it also reviewed preparations for the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and the end-of-tenure Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.

In a statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, INEC disclosed that it received 171 applications from associations seeking party registration.

“Each request was assessed based on its prima facie compliance with the provisions of Section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Section 79 (1, 2 and 4) of the Electoral Act 2022, and Clause 2 (i and ii) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022,” the statement read.

Of the applications, 14 associations satisfied the preliminary legal and procedural criteria to move forward, while 157 did not. INEC said it will officially notify all applicants of its decision within 24 hours.

Olumekun added that the interim chairmen and secretaries of the pre-qualified associations have been invited to a briefing scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at INEC headquarters in Abuja.

He, however, stressed that scaling the initial stage does not guarantee registration. “In addition to uploading the required information to the portal, the commission will physically verify all claims by each association. The final determination of their registrability will be made after this verification to ensure full compliance with the legal framework,” he said.

The associations cleared for the next phase include the African Transformation Party, chaired by Ikhane Stanley with Emmanuel Shaibu as secretary; the All Democratic Alliance, led by Chief Akin A. Ricketts with Abdullahi Musa Elayo as secretary; the Advance Nigeria Congress, represented by Mohammed Kabir and Chibuike Onyendilefu; and the Abundance Social Party, with Comrade Frank Oruwa and Sikiru Oripelaye as interim leaders.

Others are the African Alliance Party, headed by Olusegun Peters with Haruna Abubakar as secretary; the Citizens Democratic Alliance, led by Engr. Muazu Magaji and Tamunotonye Inioribo, the Democratic Leadership Alliance, under the leadership of Barr. Fortune Oghenegare Aghwaretoma with Munirat Adama as secretary; the Grassroots Initiative Party, represented by Nze Kanayo Chukwumezie and Mohammed Abas Kuti; and the Green Future Party, with Dr. Adebayo Adefolaseye and Peace Daful.

Also on the list are the Liberation People’s Party, chaired by Hon. Alani Akinde with Douglas Aji as secretary; the National Democratic Party, with Hon. Ada Okwori and Asuquo Edet Alexander at the helm; the National Reform Party, led by Abdulkadir Mohammed with Destiny Ormonigho Odugo; the Patriotic Peoples Alliance, represented by Hon. John Ughulu and Jackie Wayas; and the Peoples Freedom Party, chaired by Engr. Agbanifo Francis Akhigbe, with Akintola Michael Alao as secretary.

INEC reiterated that political party registration is a continuous process under the law. Associations must meet strict conditions, including maintaining a national headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory, adopting a unique name and logo, proving nationwide membership and presence, and submitting a constitution and manifesto consistent with democratic principles.

The commission also reminded stakeholders that it routinely deregisters political parties that fail to meet these standards, especially after general elections. In 2020, for example, INEC deregistered 74 political parties for failing to win any seats in the 2019 elections or meet constitutional requirements.

As of the 2023 general elections, Nigeria had 18 recognised political parties.

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