SET DATE FOR FRESH NOMINATIONS IN KABUSHI AND KWACHA, TUTWA TELLS ECZ
…..as the State loses 7 applications in the Lusaka High Court
Lusaka…. Friday, September 16, 2022 (Smart Eagles)
The Constitutional Court already stated that Hon. Bowman Chilosha Lusambo and Hon Joseph Malanji qualify to contest in Kabushi and Kwacha Constituencies, so who else can change anything from there, Lawyer Tutwa Ngulube wonders.
Hon Ngulube accused the government of being malicious in the matter. He wondered why they can’t let people of the two constituencies choose their representatives democratically.
The Lawyer lamented that Members of Parliament for the mentioned constituencies should not be chosen through the Court but the ballot.
He said this when he addressed journalists yesterday after High Court proceedings.
“The main case will be heard tomorrow (today) at 9:00 hours. Its very clear that government does not want the Court to continue with the case and they also don’t want the election to go on,” he said.
“In refusing to give them what they want, the Court has said the time frame for determining these matters is 21 days and these 21 days are ending on the 20th. So today being the 15th, we only have five days to finish the case….Court has ordered that tomorrow at 9:00 we come and hear the main case then they will deliver the judgement.”
Counsel Tutwa castigated the UPND government over the way they have been handling the matter in question.
He described the way government has been flooding Court with applications as embarrassing.
“As you can see, government is not decided. On one case they want to go to the Court of Appeal, then they want to go to the Con Court – just in the same case….,” he said.
“It is embarrassing that even after having lost a number of applications, this is the seventh application that they have lost but they are still flooding applications and what is most embarrassing is that they are filing and not giving us the applications. You just get surprised you’re in Court then they say government filed an application last night….and they are still flooding applications.”
He said judgement will be delivered on Monday.
“The Constitutional Court already said that Lusambo and Hon Malanji qualify to stand. So who else can change anything from there,” he asked.
“The issue that is before the Court now is that can the election be stopped? Which we managed to do, they should have been voting today. The next thing that comes up now is when the election will be held. So the Electoral Commission of Zambia must tell us when the elections will be held…..we will have to be told when nominations will be done so that Hon Lusambo and Hon Malanji can file in their nominations.”