Yameen to leave PPM, form new party

Former president and PPM-PNC leader Abdulla Yameen has decided to leave the PPM and form a new party, his top lawyer Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed said on Thursday.

In an interview with Channel-13, Jameel said that Yameen decided to leave the PPM because the party leaders did not want him to run the party activities and they no longer needed his consultation and advice. Jameel said Yameen would shape his political work by forming a new party.

"He did everything he could to change the government of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as the people wished for. But today the party leadership's mindset is different from his. They have moved away from him," Jameel said.

He said that after achieving things through many challenges, being “unjustly” imprisoned for many days and making many sacrifices, “this is not an easy decision for President Yameen at all”.

After President Dr Mohamed Muizzu won September's presidential election, PPM leadership has distanced from Yameen and stopped consulting him, Jameel said, giving examples: 

Certain factions within PPM-PNC were trying to achieve particular results, and once they achieved those results, they had stopped even responding to Yameen's calls, Jameel alleged. They should instead respect Yameen, he added.

“The PPM has now been hijacked by certain people,” he said.

The PPM leadership does not want to take Yameen's advice and the party is not in a position to win the parliamentary elections, Jameel said.

Therefore, Yameen will form a new party to "save the country" and many people have asked him to do so, he said.

“The party that is being formed in Yameen's vision will win the parliamentary elections and the 2028 presidential election,” Jameel said.

The announcement comes hours after PPM expelled former minister Mohamed Maleeh Jamal from the party for leading what he claimed to be a steering committee formed by Yameen to run the party.

Maleeh was suspended pending a disciplinary enquiry into his actions following his announcement of the steering committee.

The PPM's disciplinary committee on Thursday decided to expel Maleeh after the enquiry, it said in a letter sent to Maleeh.

An emergency press conference was held at the PPM office on Tuesday evening. The press conference was led by former technology minister Maleeh. He was accompanied by former customs commissioner Abbas Adil Riza.

They said a 13-member steering committee was formed under the powers of former president Abdullah Yameen, who serves as the party's president.

However, since Yameen is serving a prison sentence, he has no legal status in running the party.

The committee also said at the press conference that Heena Waleed had resigned as the party's spokesperson and had conveyed to Yameen that party secretary general Mohamed Tholal could not take up his responsibilities.

Heena has denied the allegations. The press conference has caused a stir among the PPM leaders.