LAWYER CLARIFIES THAT PF LUSANGAZI CHAIR CANDIDATE IS ELIGIBLE TO RECONTEST SEAT
Lawyer for Patrick Banda, former Patriotic Front (PF) Lusangazi Council Chairperson Joseph Chirwa says his client has a Grade 12 certificate issued by the Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) and is eligible to re-contest the upcoming Local Government by-elections.
Chirwa states that no court has so far cancelled the Grade 12 certificate possessed by Banda.
He clarified that Banda’s election was nullified by the Local Government Elections Tribunal on a wrong conclusion based on witnesses with an interest to serve and not from the ECZ which is a competent body that issues Grade 12 certificates.
Chirwa says that the tribunal erred by failing to call witnesses to challenge the validity of the Grade 12 certificate as it based its decision on hearsay from one of the losing competitors namely Fred Banda from the UPND.
Banda’s lawyer says that, had the Constitutional Court allowed his client to appeal out of time the decision of the tribunal would have reversed the wrong conclusion that his client possessed a “fake” Grade 12 certificate.
Chirwa says by Thursday, his client will file in nominations successfully and any political interventions to block him to file, will be challenged in the courts of law, a result which will see elections being suspended for a long time.