PF POLL ANGER RISES

Mon, 28 Nov 2016 16:59:49 +0000

PATRIOTIC Front remains convinced that our candidates won their parliamentary seats convincingly and it is on that basis that we have appealed against the High Court decisions, PF National Chairperson Ngosa Simbyakula has said.

“We have looked at the grounds for the nullification coming out of court and we are confident that in both cases, we have good grounds to be heard. With that said, let me not discuss the matters active before courts considering that we appealed the ruling in both instances,” said Dr. Simbyakula.

“Let me make it clear that even if we were to go for by-elections in Munali and Lusaka central the PF will defend the nullified seats.”

Dr. Simbyakula said PF lawyers had scrutinised the judgments and advised to appeal because they had strong grounds against the judgments.

Dr. Simbyakula said the party was very still popular as evidenced by the winning of 11 local government seats out of 16, stating that the loss of Mukuba seat to the opposition UPND did not mean that the party was unpopular, but was due to mismatch between the demands of the voter and the decision that was made by the local leadership.

“We are aware of these challenges and as the national leadership can assure continued renewal of structures in order to consolidate and redeem our fortunes in areas

like Mukuba. We must now channel the pain and negative vibes arising out of Mukuba ward into a productive force that will energise our party to make it much stronger and resolute in performing our current core mandate as a governing party,” he said.

Dr. Simbyakula added that the party under the leadership of President Lungu remains fully committed to the general economic principles as contained in the PF manifesto and believed that the principles would grow the economy into a strong growth one with trickling down to the masses.

Meanwhile, Dr. Simbyakula launched the “PF interactive forum’’ whose objective is to connect the party leadership with the media fraternity and through them the Zambian people.

“The Patriotic Front youths are ready for the rebattle at any by-elections as the courts deemed it,” says Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo.

Mr Kampyongo, who is PF national youth chairman, said there was a lot of anxiety among party members on the recent nullifications of two major Parliamentary seats in Lusaka which the concerned Members of Parliament had since appealed.

He said all PF youths should remain calm and must be ready to follow through the courts’ instructions in the event that there would be by-elections.

“My appeal to the youths in these constituencies, Munali and Lusaka Central, is to remain calm and must be patient, but ready for anything that will come out of court.

“As the PF youth wing, if the worse goes to the worst, we shall move in and defend these PF seats with all the energies that it takes. Those are our seats! Certainly, we shall have them as our seats for the next five years,” he said.

He explained that the youths must remain ready and vigilant to defend what was already theirs as the ruling party.

Mr Kampyongo was speaking shortly after seeing off President Edgar Lungu at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport as he left the county for bilateral talks with Tanzania’s Head of State, John Magufuli.

Mr Kampyongo explained that, as PF, they would not antagonise the court processes as they were keen believers in the authority of the Judiciary, and so would allow for the smooth flow of the court proceedings.

Last week, two High Court Justices Edward Musona and Mwiinde Siavwapa, delivered two separate judgments that annulled the election of Munali Constituency MP, Professor Nkandu Luo and Lusaka Central’s Margaret Mwanakatwe respectively.

The two seats were petitioned by losing UPND candidates, Doreen Mwamba of Munali and Dr. Charlotte Scott from the Lusaka Central Constituency.

The two MPs have since appealed to the Constitutional Court against the High Court judgments.