The man who claims to be the father of the Malawian child Madonna hopes to adopt is speaking out to the media against the Material Mom!

The hearing regarding last month’s court ruling to stop Madonna from adopting four-year-old Mercy James began on Monday at the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, with the “father” of Mercy James making a sad attempt to use nationalism as his argument against Madge!

“I do not want my baby to be adopted because I want to take care of her and I’m capable to take care of my baby. … Mercy, she is a Malawian… so [I] need her to grow as a Malawian, as well with our culture,” James Kambewa told the media on Monday.

The 24-year-old Kambewa has never met his daughter and has only seen her “in newspapers and TV, not face-to-face.”

Sounds sketch!

What’s the argument from Madge’s camp?

Just that James Kambewa is a big ol’ faker!!

Said Madonna’s rep, Liz Rosenberg, “There is no evidence whatsoever that this man is the father of Mercy. … This is a story created by the media that has no influence on the ultimate ruling regarding Madonna’s appeal for custody. No family member has ever come forward to claim this child. And now some man appears out of a clear blue sky claiming to be the father.”

Not enough proof?

The brother of Mercy James’ late mother has claimed his family has no idea who James Kambewa even is!!

“How can he claim he is the father when he hasn’t been around all this time?” asked Mercy’s uncle, Peter Baneti.

Baneti believes the court should allow Madge to adopt his niece and that Mercy’s “father” was solely “an opportunist.”

Um, seriously!

We only hope the court will see through Kambewa’s paper thin argument!!

[Image via WENN.]