Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo has said that Constitutional Lawyer John Sangwa will not decide for patriotic Front (PF) who should be its Presidential candidate for 2021 General Election because the party has already resolved that President Edgar Lungu will be its candidate for 2021, after the 2018 Constitutional Court ruling on his eligibility case.
Responding to questions from the media at the PF interactive forum, the Minister explained that the party was aware of dark corner meetings from some opposition political parties on the candidature of its Party President Edgar Lungu, but advised the political parties to prepare themselves for its candidate rather than focusing on his eligibility.
Weighing in on the eligibility issues, The part’s Media Director Sunday Chanda said that PF was aware that the Law Association of Zambia(LAZ) is planning to stop it’s Party PresidentEdgar Lungu from filing his nominations in the 2021 General election’s.
Mr. Chanda said LAZ will not distract the party in any way.
Last Week, LAZ President Eddie Mwitwa said that the Association intends to approach the Constitutional Court to ask it to determine the eligibility of the candidates that will be floated by the various political parties for the 2021 general Elections, while insisting that the Constitutional Court did not declare President Edgar Lungu eligible to stand in the 2021 general election, contrary to assertions that they did, adding that the controversial question relating to President Lungu’s eligibility was not yet over and that Constitutional lawyer John Sangwa, State Counsel, was right to say that the matter could still be appealed in the Constitutional Court.
Mr. Mwitwa said that when the elections are nearing, the parties have nominated their candidates, LAZ will go back to the constitutional court.
“When the elections are nearing and nominations are filed, there will still be an opportunity to ask the Constitutional Court to determine the eligibility of the candidates that will be floated by the various political parties. It is not a dead-end; it is a matter that can still be revived. Remember that the President himself, President Edgar Lungu, was not a party to that particular action. So, there is an opportunity to take that to the Constitutional Court on the question of his eligibility when he files in his nomination to stand for President in 2021.”
Mr. Mwitwa further said that the December 7, 2018, ConCourt ruling did not interpret specifically President Lungu’s eligibility to stand for a third-successive time at next year’s crucial election.