Itula party on the cards

FORMER independent presidential candidate Panduleni Itula has vowed to form a political party following his expulsion from Swapo last month.

Itula, who unsuccessfully contested last year’s presidential election, confirmed plans to The Namibian to register a political party.

Itula received 29% of the votes, losing the contest to Swapo candidate Hage Geingob, who garnered 56% of the votes. Itula unsuccessfully challenged the outcome of that election in the Supreme Court.

His participation in that election while being a Swapo member was one of the reasons for his expulsion from the party last month.

Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa accused Itula of contravening the party’s constitution and code of conduct and that he had caused “division in or the breakdown of the party’s unity”.

Itula – a dentist, who refers to call himself a consequential politician, ran a campaign based on social justice and respect for the rule of law.

This week Itula told The Namibian that socio-economic issues and challenges facing Namibians have not vanished after the elections.

He said his supporters and sympathisers want the “Dr Itula phenomenon for change” transformed into a vehicle to allow them to continue exercising their rights to political participation as provided for by the Constitution as “citizens in unison with a common goal of restoring the dignity of our people”.

“As circumstances allow, and we have within the rule of law, as we would have so done, satisfied the legal requirements, for constituting as such, the exercise of our constitutional rights and freedoms, the near future events as may be, shall appropriately be made known to the media and to the public at large. Only then shall we have rights of access to obligations and benefits so accorded such organised citizens,” Itula said.

Itula said the decision to form a political party was not entirely about him, but the desire to address the problems facing the nation.

He added that people who watched him during an exclusive livestream interview with Namibian Sun last week also suggested that he forms a political party via their comments.

He added that since the issues that pushed him to contest last year’s election had not gone away after the elections it was only logical to continue to advocate change to restore the dignity of the people and “save Namibia”.

“That change has as yet not been realised by the thousands of our people living in informal settlements and unemployed graduates or our men and women in uniform who have had no pay rise in the last five years. […] We believe there can’t be any perfect time to fight, and restore the dignity of our people,” he said.

Political commentator Graham Hopwood yesterday said Itula’s plans to form a political party will make sense “if he wants to continue to be a political actor for the next five years and beyond”.

Hopwood said Itula might not struggle with ambitions to form a political party given the support he received during last year’s elections.

“He already got more votes than all the opposition political parties, so it will only make sense if he wants to continue to be active in politics” he said.

Itula said he would not challenge his expulsion from Swapo because it was an “invalidity” although he still claims to be a member of Swapo.

“As far as the unprocedural Swapo Party expulsion is concerned, I have not read the nullity and intend not to do so at all. Why should I validate an invalidity? I shall never resist their unlawful expulsion,” he said.

He said the current leadership of Swapo should rather be the ones leaving the party after being a result of a controversial 2017 elective congress that has since been marred by Fishrot scandal allegations.

The ruling party has been accused of benefiting from the corruption scandal, which allegedly generated over N$150 million in bribes paid to prominent people, including Cabinet ministers.

The Namibian understands these funds were partially meant for Swapo and specifically president Hage Geingob’s political campaign during the party’s 2017 elective congress.

“As a minimum, the procedures conferring dignity to others if they don’t want to make Swapo the laughing stock of Namibians. When are the expulsions of the Fishrot prisoners due in their absence? […] The Swapo Party potential Fishrot leadership must pronounce themselves as to whether any materials used in the 2017 Swapo Party congress were derived from the Fishrot money,” Itula stressed.