By DORICA SAKALA
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) has justified that President Hakainde Hichilema continued with his campaign in Kabushi constituency on Tuesday night after the court had stayed the by-elections because he was not aware of the High Court ruling.
And the party says the dramatic turn of events in the Kabushi and Kwacha parliamentary by-elections are a clear indication that President Hichilema is not interfering in the judicial system.
Some sections of society have however questioned why President Hichilema continued with the campaigns on Tuesday in Kabushi constituency when there was a high court ruling to stay the by elections in Kabushi and Kwacha constituencies.
But UPND Kabushi and Kwacha campaign manager Elvis Nkandu told Millennium Radio that if the President had known what was happening in the judicial process, he would not have continued with the campaigns.
And Mr. Nkandu has claimed that the independent candidates who withdrew from the by-elections were deliberately planted by the opposition to call for fresh nominations.
Meanwhile, President Hichilema on his Facebook page posted that the UPND would respect the rule of law and the principle of the separation of powers even in instances that appear unfavorable to the ruling party’s expectations.
Mr. Hichilema said respecting the rule of law was the UPND goals and core values and they would live by these virtues.
He said the ruling party understand and appreciate the people’s apprehension over the postponement of the Kwacha and Kabushi by elections.
“We indeed worked hard and everyone put in their best to ensure we get the best result out of this democratic process, well, the courts have ruled for a stay. We will subsequently respect the rule of law and the principle of the separation of powers, even in instances that appear unfavorable to our expectations.” he said.
