RETAINING JUSTICE CHULU AS ECZ CHAIRPERSON COULD TRIGGER UNREST FOR ZAMBIA-SIKAILE SIKAILE
Dear Country men and women,
I have followed the way ECZ is handling this year’s election with keen interest. I have seen them shoot down every proposal by stakeholders. I have likened ECZ to a Zambian government going in salary negotiations with our compromised labour unions where only the government’s position is heard. Collective bargaining is just by word.With the usual arrogance of the PF they have decided to retain the same discredited man Mr. Chulu to pick up where he left in 2016.
Few days ago we informed the nation about the electoral register at state house . We named some key culprits in the scam and challenged them to deny our allegations they have failed to do so pretending they didn’t read our message but they did we know. We have the key witnesses who can testify how these NRCs and voters cards confiscated and bought by PF cadres and leaders are being used by PF to reduce the chances of the UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema as indicated in their conversations winning the elections. We have messages and other conversations of the people involved and we are not very stupid to come up with such a story without tangible evidence.
If ECZ and Esau Chulu were clean by now they could have called on all stakeholders and then ask us to surrender our witnesses whom we need an assurance that they will be protected by stakeholders so that they freely tell the nation the truth. But,we are shocked by some agents of state house involved rushing to ZICTA to investigate on how this information leaked to us. Some of these culprits we have confronted them already and documented their responses to us.
We have escalated the matter to our reputable catholic bishops through their secretary general father Cleapas Lungu and others we only hope this issue will be tabled very soon. I dare state house and ECZ to come out clean on this issue.The PF believes since the man has no integrity left he would be more than willing to do whatever they would ask of him. After all, he has nothing more to lose. Mr. Chulu is that Chairperson who committed espionage (not the go slow doctors they wanted to charge) with his accomplice Chavula a spy hired from Uganda. He is the man who created an extra constituency Chitulika so that Edgar Lungu can pass the fake 50% +1 votes threshold. He is the same man who inflated figures for Lundazi constituency in favour of Edgar Lungu. He is the same man who agreed to have a meeting with opposition members regarding Lusaka province results. But, as soon as Lungu visited him at Mulungushi, after Hakainde Hichilema had left. He cancelled the meeting and declared inflated figures in Lungu’s favour.
These were too many mistakes to have been made by a chairperson in one election.The problem with retaining such a criminal is, he would be under scrutiny never seen before. All the people know what he is capable of. Even a simple mistake of mispronouncing a name of a constituency in 2021 can be construed as an old habit and that can spark unrest never seen before.Already, when you look at decisions taken by ECZ so far. One would say we are headed the 2016 way. ECZ has never embraced suggestions of stakeholders but, unilaterally bulldozes all decisions. For instance, when their favoured PF candidate hinted on ban on rallies. ECZ went right into action and turned the suggestion into law and burned campaign rallies against all stakeholders proposals. When Mr. Lungu started feeling unwell and unable to do Road shows, ECZ burned Road shows to allow Lungu to recover. Or how can one explain the fact that the same man allowed soldiers to parade where he ended up fainting? In fact, even at that parade was more than a political rally. As long as it allowed him Lungu a chance to wear a military uniform, he himself allowed it to go on.
Today, we are witnessing Road shows for Kaunda’s body being transported to all provinces with a battalion of soldiers covering it at the same time citizens are dying like chickens and PF don’t care. What we are saying is, pushing a discredited Chulu in the direction they want will just spark unrest as the man is not trusted by Zambians.When Florence Mumba messed up 2008 elections in favour of Rupia Banda, she resigned before the 2011 elections to pave way for Ireen Mambilima. That move served us and our country.
PF may think Chulu has experience at illegalities and they want him to aid them again.The old man this time around will be scrutinized like never before. We are going to monitor the server room, if a Ugandan can be given access it won’t be a challenge with us. Zambians have learnt it hard way. By entrusting Lungu with power, he has taught them a bitter lesson. They are dying of hunger, diseases and their children are failing to manage school fees. Make no mistake, not even those armoured vehicles can stop a hungry man who is also scared of a disease that his government seems to have no plan to control it. The only way to serve the country from an impending catastrophe is to let the will of the people and not the will of Chulu and Edgat Lungu prevail.
To Edgar Lungu, this is my reminder sir, I know very well that from district commissioners,directors, PS, minister’s, and any croock oriented person has contract of supplying something to the goverment for a cut. Now just a reminder, if the elections of Zambia will be like 2011 elections of ivory coast, the incumbent president did everything to postpone the elections five times and also organized militia groups to control cities and sponsor hatred speeches of true ivorians and fake ivorians like you are doing today through the disgruntled Chishimba Kambwili. He had electoral commission and armed army but, when finally elections were called Laurie Gbagbho lost the elections terribly people voted for the one he called foreigner when time comes nothing can stop it. Your time has come to leave state house mark my words.
Sikaile C Sikaile
Good Governance and Human Rights Activist for Zambia and Amnesty International
BY CIC PRESS TEAM