Africa-Press – Malawi. <\/strong><\/span>A shadow war has been ignited within the hallowed halls of Capital Hill, as fresh allegations emerge of a high-stakes campaign to force the resignation of Vice President Dr. Jane Ansah. Allegedly, at the eye of this political hurricane is the nation\u2019s top civil servant, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Justin Saidi.<\/b><\/p>\nDespite Saidi\u2019s public insistence that the administration remains a \u201ccohesive unit,\u201d a series of leaked reports and internal maneuvers paint a starkly different picture: one of a Vice President being systematically \u201csqueezed\u201d out of her constitutional role through a calculated strategy of administrative isolation and financial strangulation.<\/p>\n
A Pattern of Erasure<\/p>\n
The rift, which reportedly began simmering shortly after the administration\u2019s inauguration in late 2025, has moved from hushed whispers to overt administrative action. Sources close to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) suggest that Saidi is far from a neutral administrator.<\/p>\n
Under Saidi\u2019s pen, the Vice President has seen her portfolio gutted. Key responsibilities\u2014including the high-profile Public Service Reforms and the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA)\u2014were abruptly transferred to the OPC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t just \u2018restructuring,’\u201d says a senior government official who spoke on condition of anonymity. \u201cThis is a surgical removal of power. When you take away a Vice President\u2019s budget and their departments, you aren\u2019t just managing a cabinet; you are sending a clear message that their presence is no longer required.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cInner Circle\u201d of Influence<\/p>\n
Inside information reveals that Saidi is not acting alone. The alleged campaign involves a formidable quartet of party stalwarts and presidential advisors:<\/p>\n
Francis Mphepo: Chief Advisor to President Peter Mutharika.<\/p>\n
George Chaponda: Minister of Foreign Affairs.<\/p>\n
James Naphambo: Chairperson of the National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF).<\/p>\n
Justin Saidi: Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet.<\/p>\n
Observers note that the cancellation of Dr. Ansah\u2019s planned official trip to the United Kingdom late last year served as the first public tremor of this internal earthquake. While the government cited \u201cpublic scrutiny\u201d and \u201ccost-cutting,\u201d insiders claim the move was designed to embarrass the Vice President and limit her international standing.<\/p>\n
Echoes of a Turbulent Past<\/p>\n
For many political analysts, this friction feels like a haunting case of de\u0301ja\u0300 vu. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has a long, documented history of internal combustion between the Presidency and the Second-in-Command:<\/p>\n
2011: The fallout with Joyce Banda, leading to the formation of the People\u2019s Party.<\/p>\n
2018: The bitter rivalry with Saulos Chilima, which culminated in the birth of the UTM.<\/p>\n
2026: The current \u201cadministrative squeeze\u201d on Dr. Jane Ansah.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DPP seems trapped in a cycle where the Vice Presidency is viewed as a threat rather than a partner,\u201d says political commentator Dr. Elias Mambo. \u201cIf Saidi is indeed using his office to facilitate this, we are looking at a serious constitutional crisis. The Chief Secretary is a servant of the Constitution, not a political henchman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Constitutional Stakes<\/p>\n
The silence from the named officials has been deafening. As of press time, neither Saidi, Mphepo, nor Chaponda has responded to requests for comment regarding the alleged coordinated pressure.<\/p>\n
As the budget for the Vice President\u2019s office continues to shrink and her public appearances dwindle, the nation is left to wonder: Is this a legitimate realignment of government priorities, or a repeat of the political cannibalism that has defined Malawian governance for over a decade?<\/p>\n
For now, Dr. Jane Ansah remains in office, but as the walls of Capital Hill close in, the \u201cadministrative squeeze\u201d may soon reach a breaking point.<\/p>\n
Source: Malawi Nyasa Times<\/b><\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Malawi<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By nyasatimes Africa-Press – Malawi. A shadow war has been ignited within the hallowed halls of Capital Hill, as fresh allegations emerge of a high-stakes campaign to force the resignation of Vice President Dr. Jane Ansah. Allegedly, at the eye of this political hurricane is the nation\u2019s top civil servant, Chief Secretary to the President […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":77251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,7,8,410],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-77252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","category-to-homepage","tag-malawi"],"yoast_head":"\n
The Chief Secretary's Gambit to Oust VP Ansah - Malawi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A shadow war has been ignited within the hallowed halls of Capital Hill, as fresh allegations emerge of a high-stakes ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Chief Secretary's Gambit to Oust VP Ansah\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A shadow war has been ignited within the hallowed halls of Capital Hill, as fresh allegations emerge of a high-stakes ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Malawi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-06T19:16:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-06T19:57:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"The Chief Secretary’s Gambit to Oust VP Ansah\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-06T19:16:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-06T19:57:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah\"},\"wordCount\":615,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Malawi\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\",\"head lines\",\"homepage-english\",\"to-homepage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah\",\"name\":\"The Chief Secretary's Gambit to Oust VP Ansah - Malawi\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-06T19:16:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-06T19:57:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"A shadow war has been ignited within the hallowed halls of Capital Hill, as fresh allegations emerge of a high-stakes ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"The Chief Secretary's Gambit to Oust VP Ansah\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Chief Secretary’s Gambit to Oust VP Ansah\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/\",\"name\":\"Malawi\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Chief Secretary's Gambit to Oust VP Ansah - Malawi","description":"A shadow war has been ignited within the hallowed halls of Capital Hill, as fresh allegations emerge of a high-stakes ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Chief Secretary's Gambit to Oust VP Ansah","og_description":"A shadow war has been ignited within the hallowed halls of Capital Hill, as fresh allegations emerge of a high-stakes ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah","og_site_name":"Malawi","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2026-04-06T19:16:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-06T19:57:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"The Chief Secretary’s Gambit to Oust VP Ansah","datePublished":"2026-04-06T19:16:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-06T19:57:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah"},"wordCount":615,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg","keywords":["Malawi"],"articleSection":["all news","files","head lines","homepage-english","to-homepage"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah","name":"The Chief Secretary's Gambit to Oust VP Ansah - Malawi","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-06T19:16:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-06T19:57:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"A shadow war has been ignited within the hallowed halls of Capital Hill, as fresh allegations emerge of a high-stakes ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2026\/04\/sm_1775505401.025618.jpg","width":600,"height":400,"caption":"The Chief Secretary's Gambit to Oust VP Ansah"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/the-chief-secretarys-gambit-to-oust-vp-ansah#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Chief Secretary’s Gambit to Oust VP Ansah"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/","name":"Malawi","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77253,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77252\/revisions\/77253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}