By Patson Chilemba
Justice minister Given Lubinda says he will not be drawn into discussions if he is interested in the PF presidency, saying “when I am ready I will announce.”
Lubinda was asked by Daily Revelation if he was interested in the PF presidency at the upcoming party conference, and in response said: “I am not rallying any support around myself. I am not campaigning for myself and I don’t want any campaign manager. So when I’m ready I will announce to the state. I don’t need a campaign manager. I don’t need a campaign manager, so I will not say anything about that until when I will want to.”
He said had he wanted he would have started talking about these things by himself but would not be prompted to talk about them by anybody, not even by journalists.
And Lubinda said discussions surrounding President Lungu’s eligibility to stand in 2021 were futile as the courts had already adjudicated over the matter.
But asked specifically on the arguments that the constitutional court simply skirted around the matter without addressing it conclusively, Lubinda responded: “That’s why I’m saying for me it’s a futile matter that was already handled by the courts.”
Asked further in the implications of President Lungu failing to successfully file in his nomination papers on account that he has already twice held office and therefore not eligible to stand again for the presidency as directed in Article 106(3), Lubinda still refused to be drawn into the discussion, maintaining the same answer.
SOURCE: Daily Revelation