Friday, 09.04.21
I COULD NOT CHALLENGE EDGAR LUNGU BECAUSE OF LAWLESSNESS IN PF, THE UNDEMOCRATIC NOMINATION PROCESS AND THE ILLEGAL CENTRAL COMMITTEE HE USED TO ENDORSE HIM
“I want to state to the nation that I have decided not to Lodge my application, despite being a member of the Patriotic Front in good standing for the following reasons”;
1️⃣ THE RULE OF LAW: “I have stated on different occasions and platforms the importance of adhering to the rule of law.
“I maintain that my elder brother, the president Edgar Chagwa Lungu is not eligible to stand as Republican president and as a lawyer, he knows this.”
“He has held the office of president twice having been elected two (2) times. There’s no third term in the Republican constitution.”
“I say this because the PF constitution clearly says that the person who is elected at the conference must also qualify to run under the Republican constitution.”
“The president has therefore, by filing his nomination set in motion the first to defy the Republican constitution.”
“The PF constitution and the Republican constitution have always worked hand-in-hand together.”
“In 2014, we elected Edgar Chagwa Lungu as party president, he therefore, stood in 2015 as our candidate and stood again in 2016 as our candidate. He can’t stand again!”
“Because of my strong belief in the rule of law and the respect of both party and the Republican constitutions, I do not want to be part and parcel of an election that is against the law.”
2️⃣ ILLEGAL CENTRAL COMMITTEE : “The central committee that purported to endorse the candidature of Edgar Chagwa Lungu as the sole candidate is an illegal central committee.”
“The central committee was formerly elected in 2011, their mandate came to an end in 2016.”
“I raised that issue in 2016 and we should have held an extraordinary general conference to elect and renew the mandate of the central committee [but] this, did not happen and I was Infact, called names and I was labelled a rebel of the party.”
“We should have held that extraordinary general conference so that we mandate the central committee to do what they purport to do now .”
“This central committee is comprised of members who have been appointed and nominated by one person [who is] the president [himself].”
“This is the person who gives you the position to hold on the central committee [then] the same person now tells you, “endorse me”, and you endorse him.”
“These [the PF central committee members] are the agents or surrogates of the same president they are endorsing.”
3️⃣ UNDEMOCRATIC NOMINATION PROCESS
“The nomination process was undemocratic.”
▪️Am aware that the Secretary General of the party [Hon. Davies Mwila] was not at the party Secretariat yesterday [Thursday, 08.04.21].”
▪️”I know that there were hired thugs, cadres and other criminal elements positioned at the secretariat to intimidate and injure me if I ventured to go at the secretariat.”
“Fellow Zambians, our democracy has been compromised and taken for a ride. I refuse to be part of lawlessness [so] out of principal I have refused to be part and parcel of this undemocratic process.”
“To you my supporters, I urge you to continue doing what we are doing. Continue mobilizing, and know that very soon a big signal will be given to you. …. .Am running for president!”
~Kelvin Bwalya Fube~