THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE AFRICA THAT WANT REGIME CHANGE – ECL IN 2017 THAT ZAMBIANS NEVER PAID ATTENTION TO
Lungu says there will be chaos if judges disqualify him for 2021
By Mukosha Funga Njenga,
2nd November 2017
President Edgar Lungu has warned Constitutional Court judges that if they emulate Kenyans and disqualify him from standing again in 2021, they will plunge Zambia into chaos.
And President Lungu says he will not allow regime change in Zambia, which he said was being instigated by foreigners.
Speaking in Solwezi today, President Lungu told Zambian judges “to be forewarned is to be forearmed”.
“To my colleagues in the Judiciary, my message is just do your work, interpret the law without fear or favour and look at the best interest of this country. Don’t become a copycat and think that you are a hero if you plunge this country into chaos. Those people who don’t like peace and freedom will say ‘President Lungu is intimidating the courts of law’, I am not intimidating the judiciary, I am just warning you because I have information that some of you want to be adventurous, your adventure should not plunge us into chaos please!” President Lungu exclaimed.
“In English there is a saying, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. We don’t want to plunge this country into chaos because we are trying to imitate what’s happening elsewhere. We are a beckon of peace and freedom, let us keep it that way. I was on the ballot paper as candidate and I assured that I would protect Zambia and that I will do.”
He warned against emulating Kenyan judges saying they did not care about the will of the people.
“Yes, I want to make it very clear. People are saying Zambian courts should emulate Kenyan courts and I want to be very sincere on this one, people are saying Zambian courts should be brave and make decisions which are in the interest of the people but look at what’s happening in Kenya now. I am saying the courts of law in Zambia should also see what’s happening, they should not behave like they are not part of our African continent. The most important thing I can say now is, 2021, I am available to stand if my party chooses me,” President Lungu said.
“But to my friends in the court system, I say don’t plunge us into chaos by imitating or emulating Kenya or any other court system for that matter which does not care for the interests of the people. I am saying this in front of you people because there are cameras in front of me, there are some Zambians who are writing this story, recording, because I have heard some judges say ‘why don’t we emulate the Kenyan courts? They are very brave’ I don’t think that is right. We should preserve peace, we should listen to the voice of the people, we should listen to the will of the people in the Constitution. Whether I am eligible to stand or not in 2021 should not be dependant on the case in Kenya.”
And President Lungu said there were some people within an outside Africa who wanted a regime change.
“I am saying this because the backdrop of what I said the other day in Lusaka, I said there are people outside Africa and others within Africa who want to bring confusion in Africa, they started with South Africa, Zambia and Kenya, I said it, I said look out, and I think the vice-president of Kenya was present when I spoke. There are people who just want regime change because they want to take over from us as managers…that I will not allow,” he said.
“Right now, there is a matter in court which is subjudice but they are saying I have already done two terms and I shouldn’t contest in 2021 but how many people have done five terms in their political parties and still continue?”
He wondered why he could not go for another term when there were some politicians who had stood, lost five times but would still contest in 2021.
“If people who have been standing for elections from 2001 can continue up to now, but me they are saying I cannot stand again because I have done two terms, now we ask ourselves, let us be fair to each other,” President Lungu said.
COURTESY: NEWS DIGGERS NEWSPAPER
No chaos. Nothing just go to the farm
To the contrary, allowing you on the ballot is what would have caused chaos because you are a man of lawlessness. Thankfully the concourt judgement has decisively retired you.
What a brilliant judgement! It is judgement that will stand the taste of time.Congratulations to Chizombe and lawyers and to all Zambians, this gives a relief, and a lesson, it is not good to pretend that he and his supporters didn’t know that ECL did not qualify for 2026 elections.Mr Lungu him self at one time told his supporters at a Chinese Hotel that he doubted if he would be allowed to contest elections for 2021 near ZESCO in Lusaka.ZNBC may have the file if they search well in the archives, between 2017 and 2018 time around 12:00hrs on a Saturday.