By Kombe Chimpinde Mataka
PF deputy chairperson for publicity and information Emmanuel Mwamba says his party has shunned the invitation to Independence Day celebrations because President Hakainde Hichilema was allegedly participating in damaging state institutions.
And Mwamba says as long as the state favours Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) director general Mary Chirwa over her alleged involvement in the production of a pornographic video, it will be difficult to investigate Vubwi PF member of parliament Ackleo Banda over pornography.
Mwamba told The Mast that the conduct of President Hichilema in the Kabushi and Kwacha parliamentary by-elections, which were scooped by the UPND, were unacceptable.
“Our view is that people should celebrate from home in their own spaces. We think that the conduct recently of President Hakainde Hichilema leaves much to be desired. You know his keenness to break the law, break the Constitution and disobey the Constitution has left us wondering because this is one man who is supposed to protect the Constitution. We have seen that there’s an active court order stopping the elections in Kabushi and Kwacha, all knew that the court through the High Court had said there should be no elections until the matter is determined. They were two courts that commented about that matter but ECZ proceeded to even issue a calander when there was an active court case. ECZ proceeded to call for campaign period when there was an active court order stopping the elections,” Mwamba said. “The President spent many days campaigning on the Copperbelt contrary to what the court order stated. So a man who breaks the law with impunity, how does he help celebrate independence? He shouldn’t be participating in the damage of those institutions.”
He said the PF would petition the Kwacha and Kabushi elections.
“We are appealing. We will challenge those elections in the courts of law. We hold that those elections were illegal and its outcome is illegal. We don’t recognise those candidates,” he said.
And Mwamba said as long as the state favours Chirwa over her alleged involvement in the production of a pornographic video, “it will be difficult to investigate Ackleo Banda.
A video has emerged in which Banda is captured fondling his private parts in unexplained circumstances.
“We do not have an official report that honourable Akleo Banda, the member of parliament for Vubwi is the one in the pornographic video because we just received this matter today. We are aware about it. We will be speaking to him to understand the issues surrounding the video. The party works through institutions and that just happened yesterday [Sunday],” he said. “We had earlier called for action against Mary Chirwa, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC ) director general. We were very resolute on that matter and for the failure by the state to handle the issue of Mary Chirwa makes it difficult for subsequent cases. How do you treat subsequent cases if you favour certain people before the law the way Mary Chirwa was favoured where there was no official report on her matter. There was no official investigation. Mary Chirwa was never called to the police. So it creates a very difficult precedence for subsequent cases to be death with. If Mary Chirwa was not called to the police, why should they call the MP for Vubwi. If Mary Chirwa was not questioned, why would you call any other offender to question them on this matter because then you will be selective in your approach.”