The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) has announced that the party will fill the vacant position of deputy leader in 2025, the party’s spokesperson Lifalaza Simataa said.
Simataa told New Era that the decision is intended to ensure that the party can focus entirely on the upcoming elections, with all hands-on deck as they contest the Presidencial and national assembly elections.
“We aim to mobilise enough individuals within the party to secure a victorious and satisfactory outcome in the election results,” he said.
The top position became vacant after one of the party’s founders, Henny Seibeb, resigned in early June to join the ruling party. He was joined by the party’s operative secretary, Edson Isaacks. The party will not have a deputy leader until 2025.
“We are ensuring that we don’t get sidetracked by filling this vacancy. Campaigning for the elections while simultaneously addressing the vacancy would split our resources, making it difficult to give the attention they need. Therefore, our focus remains on the elections,” added Simataa.
Seibeb’s resignation comes barely two months after he was forced by the party to apologise for referring to the LPM as a Nama party. It was reported that the once-close friends and commanders-in-chief had reached an all-time low. The two reportedly no longer see eye-to-eye, claims which neither has refuted. At the time, they aired each other’s grievances on social media.
“We will decide how to proceed in accordance with our constitution and ensure we are aligned with it,” he said.
The party’s constitution is not clear on what happens when leaders vacate their positions.
Following the resignation of Seibeb and Isaacks, Aina Hanganeni Kodi and Agnes Tjiramba were sworn into the National Assembly as new members.