Sat, 17 Dec 2016 10:42:13 +0000
By RODGERS KALERO
UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema should work on his weaknesses that have seen him lose presidential elections five times instead of calling for the disbandment of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), the Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) has said.
AVAP Copperbelt coordinator Poster Jumbe said it is was irrational for Mr Hichilema to instruct his MPs to move a motion in parliament to the effect that the ECZ should be disbanded.
Mr Jumbe said it was clear that the commission had been trying under difficult circumstances to conduct elections in a fair and transparent manner.
The Copperbelt AVAP chief was reacting to UPND leader’s instructions to his MPs to move a motion in parliament that ECZ should be disbanded.
“It is irrational for Mr Hichilema to instruct his MPs to move a motion in Parliament to disband the ECZ when the commission has been conducting elections where his party, the UPND has won elections in some areas where the PF is strong. In Kitwe, which is the PF stronghold, the UPND won the local government seat in Mukuba ward. So what can he say about the Mukuba ward victory? Was it fraudulent or what? Whom does he want to replace ECZ with? His cadres?
“Even on the issue of Referendum, the UPND de-campaigned the Referendum until it was defeated in the August 11 elections. If the ECZ was not genuine, it could have manipulated the results for the Referendum,” Mr Jumbe said.
Mr Jumbe said Mr Hichilema has got a problem because he was a bitter person who was always attacking government institutions as evidenced by his attacks on the judiciary that the judges were thugs and criminals after his presidential petition was thrown out.
He said, if Mr Hichilema had failed in his leadership, he should rest and hand over power to others who were in a better position to lead the party.
“Hichilema has got a problem. On September 10, 2016 when his petition was thrown out, he called Constitutional Court thugs and criminals. If he is failing in his leadership, let him rest,” Mr Jumbe said.
