By NATION REPORTER
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) Members of Parliament (MPs) yesterday staged a walkout from the Parliament Chambers when the two newly- elected United Party for National Development (UPND) Kabushi and Kwacha constituencies’ parliamentarians were brought in the House to take oath.
When Bernard Kenengo and Charles Mulenga, for Kabushi and Kwacha respectively were being ushered into the House, the PF lawmakers in unison lead by Opposition Chief Whip Stephen Kampyongo walked out of the Chambers in protest against their election in last week’s by-elections.
After the walkout, Mr Kampyongo said in an interview that the walkout was to send a message that the PF was not going to endorse an illegality by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) which he said had conducted a null and void by-elections.
He said the PF had challenged the election of Mr Kanengo and Mr Mulenga in the Courts of law and could not sit in Parliament and be part of an illegality and a sham by-election whose outcome have been challenged.
“I can confirm that as the PF Members of Parliament, we walked out of Parliament today (yesterday) because those who were being brought in to take oath were a product of an illegality. We did not want to be part of those who were endorsing an illegality as you know the Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections were illegally conducted. We have challenged the outcome of that sham by-election in the courts and we could not sit and become witness to an illegality,” Mr Kampyongo said.
Mr Kampyongo who is the PF Shiwang’andu legislature said Mr Kanengo and Mr Mulenga were products of what he termed a botched democratic process which had seen the exclusion of Bowman Lusambo and Joseph Malanji from re-contesting their seats.
He said there had been connivance between the ECZ and the Executive to disenfranchise Mr Lusambo and Mr Malanji whom the ConCourt had declared eligible to re-contest their seats and therefore the two by-elections had completely failed to meet the threshold of a credible election.
“We did not want to be part of the welcoming party of Mr Kanengo and Mr Mulenga because it is our strong belief that those two gentlemen are bogus MPs. They are not supposed to be in that August House because they have no legitimacy,” Mr Kampyongo said.
