By NATION REPORTER
THE outcome of the Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections will be challenged because there are more than 40 potent grounds for which the sham polls could be overturned, Tutwa Ngulube has said.
And PF acting President, Given Lubinda said it was a scandal of gigantic proportions for President Hakainde Hichilema to have pulled huge crowds during his six aggregated days of his campaigns but only to shun voting resulting in the poorest turn out of voters.
Mr Ngulube says there are 99 percent chances that the Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections could be overturned because they fall far short of all the fundamentals of a fair and legitimate election.
Mr Ngulube said the legal controversies surrounding the Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections which were conducted after the Constitutional Court surprisingly nullified the High Court order for the stay of the elections still have to be cleared by the courts and matters conclusively exhausted.
He said the by-elections were held against the background of a matter in court in which Patriotic Front (PF) acting secretary general, Nickson Chilangwa sued the State and Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was still in court. Mr. Chilangwa in this matter is seeking to know whether the ECZ could go ahead to conduct an election before the final determination of matters in court.
In an interview Mr. Ngulube who is PF member of the central committee said the elections were held illegally and chances that they could be overturned by the courts of law were high.
The PF is going to petition the outcome of the by-elections that has seen UPND win the two seats after managing to block Bowman Lusambo in Kabushi and Joseph Malanji in Kwacha who were the favourite to win.
He contended that the outcome of the elections would be petitioned on grounds that the ECZ didn’t hold fresh nominations when the two independent candidates, Lawrence Kasonde and Alfred Yombwe withdraw from the race.
“In fact, they were holding the election when there was a matter in the Constitutional Court filed by our acting secretary general Nickson Chilangwa. The two by-elections remain illegal and we have more than 40 potent reasons to advance and challenge the results of the sham elections. There are more than 99% chances that the election can be overturned and those celebrating should be prepared,” Mr Ngulube said.
Mr. Ngulube further argued that the Constitutional Court had ruled that Bowman Lusambo was never disqualified but the ECZ went ahead to refuse the nomination papers of the former Kabushi strongman.
He said the decision by the ECZ to ignore the judgement of the Constitutional Court had made the by-election an academic exercise.
And Mr Lubinda has said it was clear that the people of the Copperbelt had decided to shun President Hichilema because they felt they were being forced to vote for the candidates they did not like or agree with.
Mr. Lubinda said in an interview that the refusal to listen to the head of state’s call for a large turnout for voters was a message from the people of Kabushi and Kwacha that they were no longer interested in his leadership.
Mr. Lubinda said Zambians had not seen the end of the tale in the ongong legal saga surrounding the Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections because the PF would continue to pursue the justice.
He said what happened in the Kabushi and Kwacha by-elections was not a huddle but a mirage and that those celebrating the victory of an elections which was a sham were mocking themselves.
