THE FDD has expelled its vice-president for failing to exculpate himself on charges of gross misconduct.

At a media briefing today, FDD national chairperson Potiphar Chungu said the party’s standing committee which sat on Friday had resolved to expel Banda.

“You recall that the standing committee of the FDD did suspend Mr Chifumu Banda from his position as party vice-president for gross misconduct and that he was given 60 days to exculpate himself. The 60-day period which Mr Chifumu Banda was given elapsed on the 19th of January 2017,” Chungu said.

“I wish to therefore inform the nation that following Mr Chifumu Banda’s failure to exculpate himself within the 60 days that he was given, the standing committee, which sat yesterday [Friday], the 17th of February 2017 has decided to expel the said Mr Chifumu Banda from the party. He is from today henceforth no longer a member of the FDD.”

Chungu also announced that the FDD convention which was supposed to be held this month had been deferred indefinitely saying the party had failed to raise K6 million required to hold the convention.

“On the 19th of November 2016, we held a press conference where we announced that FDD will hold its national convention on the 24th of February 2017. The fundraising committee of the party is making frantic efforts to meet this target and I would like to make a passionate appeal to our members, donors and sympathisers who have not yet delivered on their pledges to kindly make good of their pledges and help us hold the convention as soon as possible as it is key to ensuring intra-party democracy,” said Chungu who also announced that the FDD had also suspended FDD Lusaka Province chairperson James Musemuna for bringing the name of the party into public ridicule.

But Banda, a former FDD Chasefu member of parliament and chairman of the parliamentary committees, said the committee that sat to expel him had no powers to do so.

“They were ill-advised, the chairman and his committee which purportedly expelled me has no powers to expel me. They acted illegally, they were ill-advised, they can only recommend to the convention,” said Banda.