By NATION REPORTER
THE Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Nelly Mutti’s decision to expel all the nine Patriotic Front Members of Parliament whose seats were nullified by the High Court is a disaster, says a senior member of the party, Mr Chishimba Kambwili.
Mr Kambwili said the decision would be a big embarrassment for Ms Mutti, adding “I have been through it and it was a big embarrassment for her predecessor.”
He said in reference to his case where the then Speaker, Dr Patrick Matibini declared his Roan seat vacant but was ruled offside by the Constitutional Court.
“The court ruled on appeal that the Speaker acted ultra vires by adopting the role of interpretation of the Constitution,” Mr Kambwili said.
He urged Ms Mutti to rescind her decision before the court puts her on the spotlight by quashing her ruling as was the case with the former Speaker.
In a 2020 ruling in the case of Chishimba Kambwili v Attorney General, the Constitutional Court found the action of the Speaker to have been unconstitutional as the office was not vested with power to interpret or resolve constitutional problems.
“This power is vested in the Judiciary and the Speaker, therefore, usurped the powers of the Judiciary,” the ConCourt ruled.
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