At an important meeting in August 1950 in Mzimba, James Chinyama was elected President, with Sangala Vice-President.
[12] Until the early 1950s, Sangala and other leaders such as Dr. Hastings Banda believed that Nyasaland should evolve towards self-government while remaining under the authority of the British Colonial Office.
[13] However, in 1953 the Colonial Office established the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in which Europeans would retain a position of leadership, abandoning the earlier principles of partnership between the races.
Although he continued to advocate civil disobedience, he also accepted the decision of two NAC members to run for election for the two seats reserved for Nyasas in the Federal Parliament.
Others who remained in the party attempted a coup towards the end of 1955, calling for resignation of the two MPs and for the NAC to work for immediate secession from the federation and self-rule.
TDT had been forced to resign on charges of misappropriating funds, and Hastings Banda was elected President of the NAC in his place.
By February 1959, the situation had become serious enough that Rhodesian troops were flown in to help keep order, a state of emergency was declared and the NAC was banned.
The NAC was succeeded by the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), led from prison by Hastings Banda.
In 1961 the MCP overwhelmingly won the first elections held under universal suffrage, and in 1963 the country gained self governance followed by independence the next year with the new name of Malawi.