The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) acting general secretary for the Katima Mulilo Rural constituency, Martin Limbo, has resigned from the party.
In his resignation letter dated 19 February shared with The Namibian, Limbo said his resignation is to honour the legacy of founding president Sam Nujoma, who he regarded as “a grandfather” during his tenure in public service.
He added in the letter that he perceived unbalanced ethnic representation in the IPC, despite attempts to bring the matter to the attention of leadership.
“I write to express my dismay at the current state of the party, especially in the Zambezi region and also to hereby tender my official resignation as a member of the party,” he said.
Limbo said following Nujoma’s death, he felt it would be in his best interest to exit politics and he has no intention of joining another political party at present. However, he added that he was still open to embarking on “other political journeys” in the future.
Regarding the impact the founding president had on his political career, Limbo said: “Nujoma taught us values – sacrifice for others, equality and democracy above all. The IPC has deviated from these principles and I can no longer associate myself with them. I must follow the teachings of a man whom I knew and looked up to.”
He said he had raised critical issues in September 2024 after the party congress, including what he considers the deliberate exclusion of certain ethnic groups represented in the Zambezi region. In his letter of complaint at the time, Limbo denied allegations that his criticism was related to his failure to secure a place on the IPC’s parliamentary list, which he believes to this day, the party leadership have failed to balance or address, coupled with other inconsistencies.
“To this day I have no ambitions of being a parliamentarian, so it should not be misinterpreted that I was complaining because I was not on the list. I was invited by the president of the party to congress – not by regional nomination – and I believe on merit,” said Limbo.
When contacted for comment, Zambezi branch general secretary Rodrick Likando said queries regarding the resignation of party members should be directed to the party’s national general secretary.
Christine !Aochamus, who is the party’s national general secretary, also declined to comment and advised The Namibian to contact the branch general secretary, saying resignations are dealt with at branch level.
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