Of bailiffs and MMD presidency

Mon, 03 Apr 2017 11:06:27 +0000

Whichever way you look at it, Nevers Mumba’s actions in ducking the MMD presidency after bailiffs pounced on him demanding settlement of outstanding legal fees for his contempt of court case in 2013, for reasons that he accumulated the bill while he was serving as president of the party but that there was a new structure in place which should deal with the matter were pretty brazen.

And this is thanks to the bailiffs for persuading Nevers Mumba to budge (“Mumba ducks MMD presidency”, daily Nation, April 1, 2017).

The former MMD president was permitted to do so but the fact that he exercised that right after wrangling with the Felix Mutai-led MMD faction for months over his determination to extend his time in MMD presidential office was telling.

Prior to this, his bid to hang on to the MMD presidency through a dalliance with the UPND 5-time presidential election losing candidate, Hakainde Hichilema was rejected by the country’s voters in the 2016 polls.

Ordinarily, that would have been the end of it, and Nevers Mumba would’ve begun thinking about life after his MMD constitutionally limited presidential term at the party’s helm.

Looked like his MMD presidential retirement plans were off then, as he continued to masquerade as the MMD president at media platforms organised by the UPND top honchos.

Politically, Felix Mutati has held most of the cards and has succeeded in getting his MMD supporters accepted in the PF administration. But no-one could persuade Nevers

Mumba to budge except the bailiffs.

With courtesy of the bailiffs, as a former televangelist and a man of the collar, it is high time Nevers Mumba did the needful and restored his little left integrity by either paying the debt he owes the law firm or ceased to claim to be the MMD party president.

He cannot have it both ways.

So what exactly is Nevers Mumba’s future plan? Analysts say that it is obvious that he’s trying to force himself into the UPND top hierarchy, despite Hakainde Hichilema having promised him a government top job of a prime minister in the event that the UPND had won the 2016 polls and formed government. But all this did not happen.

However, it is doubtful whether he would have enough support from the UPND inner circle of hard core stalwarts.

Besides, say some, he’s not from the ‘Bantu Botatwe’ ethnicity, even though he has shown himself willing to aspire for the party’s second apex job of vice president in the UPND.

Mubanga Luchembe,

LUSAKA