Don’t entertain Nakacinda, Miles tells Parliament
MILES Sampa has written to Speaker of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti urging her not to entertain Alebwelepo Project coordinator Raphael Nakacinda as PF Secretary General.
In the letter dated September 20, 2023, the PF Matero member of parliament urged Mutti not to acknowledge any correspondence or instructions from individuals claiming leadership roles within the party.
Sampa’s letter to Parliament comes in the wake of growing party wrangles that have pitted him against former president Edgar Lungu who has secretly rescinded his decision to quit politics and is currently scheming to return to the helm of the party.
As part of his scheme to take control of the PF, Lungu directed party vice-president Given Lubinda to appoint Nakacinda as Secretary General to boost his Alebwelepo project.
But is his letter to Parliament, Sampa stressed the need to adhere to the party’s constitution when addressing challenges related to newly appointed party leaders.
Sampa pointed the importance of resolving the ongoing court case or holding the long-overdue general conference before recognizing any individual as a legitimate PF leader.
The internal situation within the PF has sparked a legal battle that has reached the High Court.
In February 2023, Judge Timothy Katenekwa issued a restraining order against specific party members, including acting president Given Lubinda and then-acting secretary-general Nixon Chilangwa, preventing them from performing their designated roles in the PF.
These appointments were made following the resignation of former president Edgar Lungu, who stepped down after his defeat in the last general elections. Sampa said the decision to appoint new leaders through illegitimate means constitutes a repeated disregard for the court’s restraining order.
Sampa pointed out that according to articles 52 and 53, when a President resigns, the Secretary General is meant to act as President temporarily.
Following this, an extraordinary general conference, attended by party members from all ten provinces, should be organized to democratically elect a new party President.
However, the PF has yet to convene this crucial conference, and the party has been operating without a legally recognized President or Secretary General.
Sampa has taken the case forward, and it is currently at an interlocutory stage, with an application of contempt of court filed against Lubinda, Chilangwa, Davies Mwila, and Raphael Nakchinda for their repeated disregard of the court’s restraining order.
By Moses Makwaya
Kalemba


