By Richard Aaron Ngoma
Justice Minister Given Lubinda seems to have lost favour from President Edgar as plans to drop him from his current portfolio, hot up. It is believed Lungu wants to replace him with Lukasya parliamentary candidate and former Law Association of Zambia President George Chisanga, should the latter win the by election. PF insiders hint that Lungu is deeply unhappy with Lubinda’s alleged bungling of Bill 10.
The fact that he doesn’t hold a law degree has suddenly come into the limelight, an element the President earlier rubbished as unnecessary, against the advice of the Zambian legal fraternity and civil society groups.
During a crucial stage of bill 10 in Parliament, Lubinda sought leave of absence from the National Assembly and travelled abroad, a matter sources say Lungu viewed as gross insubordination. The same sources further say that the President has never really trusted his Justice Minister and suspect him to be a secret Hakainde sympathiser, as well as harbouring his own Presidential ambitions to replace him within the PF.
President Lungu will summon his late predecessor Michael Sata’s narrative that Lubinda is treacherous and dangerous and should be kept away as far as possible from the PF power pool.
On the other hand, lawyer George Chisanga is viewed as a veteran and a top flight lawyer who would bring the controversial and monstrous Bill 10 back on track. The Bill is viewed by many citizens as a last ditch effort by the President to prevent his archrival Hakainde Hichilema from standing as President.
The PF have fronted all kind of methods that have all fallen by the way side to try and prevent Hakainde from appearing on the ballot for the 2021 elections. Gassing of citizens that resulted in hundreds of deaths across the country and privatisation are some of the arsenals that the PF and President Edgar Lungu have tried to way lay the UPND President.
It remains to be seen if George Chisanga an astute lawyer, will rejuvenate the unpopular Bill should he win the hotly contested parliamentary seat in Kasama’s Lukasya constituency, and should Lungu go ahead with his plans to appoint him Justice Minister.
Editors’ note:
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