The National Unity Platform (NUP) has expressed interest in joining the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue.
NUP’s intention to join the organization they were initially reluctant to is contained in a letter dated 7th October, 2025 that the party’s Secretary General, Mr David Lewis Rubongoya authored to the IPOD’s Secretary of Council of the .
‘As you are aware, Parliament recently passed the amendment to the Political parties and Organisations Act (2005), making it mandatory for all political parties under the National Consultative Forum to either be part of the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (for political parties with representation in Parliament) or the Forum for Non-Represented Political Parties and Organizations,’ Mr Rubongoya’s letter reads in part.
It adds ‘the National Unity Platform would like to sign the MoU given that we are members of the applicable constitutive organ of the National Consultative Forum by law, as we await the decision of the Constitutional Court.’
The request to join IPOD comes almost two weeks after the same party asked the High Court to intervene on the impasse between the government and NUP after the opposition was excluded from receiving the statutory political funding.
‘The National Unity Platform is currently challenging the referenced amendment before the Constitutional Court; we are cognizant that it is the current and binding law.’
The NUP’s decision to seek Court intervention came after the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Mr Norbert Mao, in August this year, directed the Electoral Commission to only disburse funds to the other six political parties with representation in parliament, with the exclusion of NUP.
The opposition party that currently boasts of the majority opposition representation in Parliament was sidelined on the grounds that it was not recognised as members of the IPOD. The court decision is yet to be delivered.