Namandje blasts ‘bitter losers’ over Netumbo candidacy
Swapo politburo member Sisa Namandje says the party followed its procedures to the letter in making vice-president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah its candidate for the presidential election in 2024.
Those suggesting otherwise are ‘naysayers’ and ‘bitter losers’ whose political careers were built on spreading misinformation, the seasoned lawyer said on The Evening Review yesterday.
Namandje was responding to Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) president Dr Panduleni Itula, who on the same show on Monday argued that Nandi-Ndaitwah cannot be considered a legitimate candidate because Swapo procedures were disregarded to declare her as such.
Itula backed the ‘Team Swapo’ slate at the party’s 2017 congress, which lost to ‘Team Harambee’. Nandi-Ndaitwah was part of the winning slate.
Two years later, in 2019, Itula – still a Swapo member at the time - contested in the national presidential candidate against the party’s formal candidate Hage Geingob, who eventually won. Itula was expelled from Swapo in early 2020.
No legal substance
Apart from Itula, Swapo member of parliament Jerry Ekandjo has also written letters to the party, urging it to converge another platform to formally nominate a candidate for 2024. This is despite Swapo’s succession policy stating that where the president of the party is ineligible to stand - like in the case of Geingob, who is in the evening of his last term as head of state - the vice-president becomes the automatic candidate.
According to Namandje, Itula has no locus standi on Swapo's internal matters and should focus on his IPC 'project'.
“Whether people like it or not, Nandi-Ndaitwah is the official Swapo candidate," a combative Namandje remarked on the popular show.
"With utmost respect to Dr Itula, his arguments have no legal substance. He also does not have a standing as someone who is not a Swapo Party member. This debate should be between the party and its members.
“Some people thrive in politics by confusing others and tell lies, and when opponents are blackmailed, they think that is the way they will thrive politically," he said.
Namandje added that ‘no amount of questioning’ will change the results of the elections, adding that Nandi-Ndaitwah will be the first female Namibian president come March 2025.
"This campaign of questioning our vice-president's candidature for the 2024 presidential elections is the same old trick by disgruntled politicians; it's not new. They are bitter losers. This is a debate that should not get any priority," he said.
No endorsement needed
Namandje argued that the party’s constitution validates Nandi-Ndaiwah’s candidacy - without any endorsement needed.
"The vice-president will automatically run for president if the president can't run, with no endorsement needed. There is no ambiguity around who the candidate is.”
If Nandi-Ndaitwah was unable or unwilling to run for the presidency, the secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa would automatically qualify, Namandje said.
“But she [Nandi-Ndaitwah] is ready and has been putting work into her campaign,” he added.
"Whether people like it or not, Netumbo is our candidate. Everything from our side is done and in order as we have proven with all our rallies.”
At this point, the party is unbothered by a “self-made conflict”, as it is focused on the elections, he stressed.
“We will make sure we demean, discard and destroy any attempt - through this public propagation of lies - to feed our candidate any doubts.”
Those suggesting otherwise are ‘naysayers’ and ‘bitter losers’ whose political careers were built on spreading misinformation, the seasoned lawyer said on The Evening Review yesterday.
Namandje was responding to Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) president Dr Panduleni Itula, who on the same show on Monday argued that Nandi-Ndaitwah cannot be considered a legitimate candidate because Swapo procedures were disregarded to declare her as such.
Itula backed the ‘Team Swapo’ slate at the party’s 2017 congress, which lost to ‘Team Harambee’. Nandi-Ndaitwah was part of the winning slate.
Two years later, in 2019, Itula – still a Swapo member at the time - contested in the national presidential candidate against the party’s formal candidate Hage Geingob, who eventually won. Itula was expelled from Swapo in early 2020.
No legal substance
Apart from Itula, Swapo member of parliament Jerry Ekandjo has also written letters to the party, urging it to converge another platform to formally nominate a candidate for 2024. This is despite Swapo’s succession policy stating that where the president of the party is ineligible to stand - like in the case of Geingob, who is in the evening of his last term as head of state - the vice-president becomes the automatic candidate.
According to Namandje, Itula has no locus standi on Swapo's internal matters and should focus on his IPC 'project'.
“Whether people like it or not, Nandi-Ndaitwah is the official Swapo candidate," a combative Namandje remarked on the popular show.
"With utmost respect to Dr Itula, his arguments have no legal substance. He also does not have a standing as someone who is not a Swapo Party member. This debate should be between the party and its members.
“Some people thrive in politics by confusing others and tell lies, and when opponents are blackmailed, they think that is the way they will thrive politically," he said.
Namandje added that ‘no amount of questioning’ will change the results of the elections, adding that Nandi-Ndaitwah will be the first female Namibian president come March 2025.
"This campaign of questioning our vice-president's candidature for the 2024 presidential elections is the same old trick by disgruntled politicians; it's not new. They are bitter losers. This is a debate that should not get any priority," he said.
No endorsement needed
Namandje argued that the party’s constitution validates Nandi-Ndaiwah’s candidacy - without any endorsement needed.
"The vice-president will automatically run for president if the president can't run, with no endorsement needed. There is no ambiguity around who the candidate is.”
If Nandi-Ndaitwah was unable or unwilling to run for the presidency, the secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa would automatically qualify, Namandje said.
“But she [Nandi-Ndaitwah] is ready and has been putting work into her campaign,” he added.
"Whether people like it or not, Netumbo is our candidate. Everything from our side is done and in order as we have proven with all our rallies.”
At this point, the party is unbothered by a “self-made conflict”, as it is focused on the elections, he stressed.
“We will make sure we demean, discard and destroy any attempt - through this public propagation of lies - to feed our candidate any doubts.”
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article