‘We all love him too much’: Top PNC officials say party will not make any decision against President Muizzu’s will

Top officials from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) reaffirmed their support for President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Monday, denying news reports that the party’s senate recently rejected a proposal he made regarding its upcoming congress.

Several news outlets reported on Sunday that President Muizzu had proposed handing over all powers related to organizing the PNC’s upcoming congress to the party’s leadership. But that the senate rejected the proposal, deciding to task a committee composed of members, including those outside the leadership, to organize the congress.

Several top officials from the PNC, including chairperson Abdul Raheem Abdulla, parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Falah, and senior deputy parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Shujau took to social media platform X on Monday to deny the news reports.

Falah said that neither the party’s senate nor the leadership will make any decision that goes against President Muizzu’s will.

“We all love President Muizzu too much. He enjoys our full confidence,” wrote Falah.

Falah said that despite the full support President Muizzu continues to enjoy from within his party, he has always prioritized following the party’s bylaws and engaging in discussion before making decisions.

He said that President Muizzu did not present any specific proposal during the recent senate meeting.

“He instructed the senate to make a decision that all members were in favor of throughout the meeting,” he said.

Falah also accused news outlets of taking bribes to spread “fake news.”

Meanwhile, Shujau, who also denied the news reports, said that if President Muizzu were to make any proposal, the senate would immediately approve it.

He said that President Muizzu wished to make all decisions pertaining to the PNC through extensive discussion.

“Those against discussion will always think the worst. I call upon journalists to stop these uncivilized acts to create strife among us,” he wrote on X.

Abdul Raheem, the Speaker of Parliament, said the PNC is run based on democratic principles.

“You cannot divide us by creating strife and discord. We stand strong with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu,” he wrote.

The latest reports of discord within the PNC comes after former President Mohamed Nasheed recently claimed that the PNC’s parliamentary group filed its no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim because he and 23 other parliamentarians from the party planned to cross party lines and submit an impeachment motion against President Muizzu.

However, this claim is denied by the ruling party.