WE do not want President Edgar Lungu embroiled in any unseemly legal imbroglio over the last elections.
The electoral tsunami we are facing was totally unexpected.
Neither the ruling party, opposition nor indeed political pundits expected the massive turnout, especially from the young who held the key.
That is why, yesterday we attracted ire and outrage when we suggested, that in the interest of peace and national unity, the President Mr. Lungu should concede and in magnanimity the projected winner, Mr Hakainde Hichilema should magnanimously accept, for the two to work together in the national interest.
We are in no way in support of Mr. Hichilema. If anything, we have issues concerning Saturnia and the abducted Hatembo siblings which he is well aware of, but in this case, we looked at national interest, beyond our issues.
Similarly, we have great respect for President Lungu who has a heart for the poor and great vision for the future of this country. We do not want him dragged into an unseemly legal imbroglio that is at the pale of constitutionality.
Indeed, the Patriotic Front Secretary General, Mr Davies Mwila yesterday disclosed a catalogue of electoral infringements that completely undermined any credibility and therefore legitimacy of the electoral exercise.
It was shocking to learn that some of the PF agents at polling stations, who were chased by UPND cadres are still in hiding, fearing for their lives, and given that two party officials were killed in cold blood in Solwezi, their fears are not farfetched. These were facts acknowledged by the ECZ Chief Executive Officer, Mr Patrick Nshindano.
Free and fair elections should be exactly that. Free and fair both in perception, practice and outcome.
The fact that the PF was not able to witness elections in three provinces was a deliberate and orchestrated affront to the electoral process which cannot be ignored.
In essence and as rightly observed by Mr. Mwila, free and fair elections were only held in seven provinces where all the interest groups participated at all levels.
Clearly an illegitimate process cannot produce a
just result. In other words, a process characterised by fraud, malfeasance and criminality cannot produce a legitimate and sound result that can be relied upon. The question however is at what point can this aberration be addressed.?
It was of note that the UPND were able to stop the
ECZ from announcing results when an anomaly was observed in the Feira results.
The Commission withdrew to consider the matter and returned later to announce a verdict.
The infringements suffered by the PF were brought to the attention of the ECZ and nothing was done.
This smacks of dangerous double standards.
If the Feira infringement could force the ECZ to retreat and delay the announcement of results, whywas it not responding adequately and timely, to the well documented practice of murder, assault, abductions and all manner of criminality witnessed in this election?
Is the Constitutional Court therefore the rightful forum to preside over an academic matter after the results have been declared?
In other words should the issue be raised after or before the fact? This is an issue that must be answered.
