STOP BEING CRY BABIES, GO AND MOBILIZE YOUR PARTY- KAMPYONGO TELLS UPND.
…… Says it was a Constitutional Court Ruling that allowed Correctional Service inmates to vote in the coming election not the PF and its Government as suggested by the UPND.
HOME Affairs Minister Hon Stephen Kampyongo has questioned the intelligence and seriousness of United Party for National Development UPND Secretary General Steven Katuka and his party who claim to have written to the European Union and the Electoral Commission of Zambia over the decision to allow Inmates to vote.
Speaking at a media briefing held in Lusaka to give an update on the security situation in the country today, Hon Kampyongo said that it is unfortunate that the entire Secretary General of a political party can accuse government of trying to rig elections by allowing inmates to vote.
Hon Kampyongo reiterated that the subject of allowing Inmates to vote was not a decision by government but by civil society organizations such as PRISCA and others through a constitutional court ruling.
“You all do recall that in 2017, a Mr Malembeka representing an organization called PRISCA went to the Constitutional Court where it was ruled that correctional service inmates be allowed to vote in future elections, it was not ourselves as government that went to court and the UPND Secretary General will do well to work with facts unlike concocting things for political expediency” Hon Kampyongo said.
The Minister said the Opposition Party Secretary General Steven Katuka is free to petition the Concourt against the ruling it passed in 2017 in Favor of Mr Malembeka and his Organization.
“The naivety of the Secretary General of the UPND is perturbing really that instead of going on the ground to mobilize votes for his party he has instead as usual opted to start crying like a small baby even to a point of going to write to the European Union who are well aware of the origin of this decision to allow inmates formerly known as prisoners to vote” Hon Kampyongo said.
He said it is now becoming absurd that the UPND should always rush to making accusations of vote rigging even when a normal and routine exercise such as mobile voter registration is conducted.
Meanwhile the Home Affairs Minister has commended the Zambia Police Command in Muchinga Led by Provincial Commissioner Eng Joel Njase for adequately dealing with the Matter of an indisciplined officer who deserted the service through social media.