KABWATA BY-ELECTION DRAMA: Saviour Chishimba saves the cancellation of the by-election and fresh nominations in Kabwata
With the ignorance being expressed by the United Progressive Party (UPP) president Xavier Chishimba regarding the withdrawal of candidature from the Kabwata parliamentary by-election of his party’s parliamentary candidate for Kabwata and the fact that Mr Francis Libanda, the candidate, is a sponsored candidate by the party, which party has not written to ECZ to withdraw its candidate from the race, it goes without saying that Kabwata by-election will go ahead.
The only best way Libanda should have done trigger the cancellation of the by-election was for to first resign from his party and then tender a withdrawal of candidature notice to ECZ.
Now that he has not done even if he did not want to participate at this late hour in this election or he had the desire to cause the cancellation of the Kabwata parliamentary by-election and then fresh nominations without him resigning from the sponsoring party is a non-startor mission.
It is failed electoral sabotage staged by a political amateur.
Now, that he has not resigned and he can’t withdraw without the party knowing and the party still has not written to the ECZ of its candidate resigning from the party ticket, Mr Libanda is still very much in the race just as the UPP as a party.
Therefore, from this standpoint, the ECZ has no issue to make a position that the Kabwata by-election proceeds as planned without reopening the nominations as long as the letter of withdrawal is not from the party but from a sponsored candidate who has not resigned from his party, it does not hold water
It is null and void.
As alluded above media reports suggest that the UPP President is unaware of his candidate’s withdrawal from the race yet the candidate wrote and submitted his withdrawal letter to the Commission.
Only an authentic letter from the sponsor of the candidate will trigger cancellation of the election and fresh nominations.
If it was an independent candidate, it would have been automatic opening of fresh nominations.
My position in the wake of Dr Chishimba pleasing ignorance on developments obtaining in Kabwata therefore saves the otherwise, the would have been the an unfortunate development.
I submit
McDonald Chipenzi