PF must be careful with Kambwili, the man who asked God where President Lungu came from, Josephs Akafumba has warned.
He also says embattled NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili and his agents attempted to replace party secretary general Bridget Atanga with a different person as defendant in the case in the Ndola High Court.
Addressing the press in Lusaka yesterday, Akafumba, the NDC ‘acting president’ said he is comforted and celebrates with the stance taken by Kambwili to go back to the PF.
He said Kambwili’s return to the PF shows that Zambian politics now lack principles as dignity is expensive.
“If this is the definition of politics as exhibited by my brother ba Kambwili then I think all of us here will say that if this is the politics then bye bye, we can’t,” he said. “Ba Kambwili … the matter is running in court they go behind to replace Mrs Atanga, a registered office bearer with a total stranger in the name of Mbulo. I want to take this chance to warn ba Mbulo for the last time, my brother you are going to burn your fingers and CK will be nowhere near.”
Akafumba said because of Kambwili’s conduct NDC instructed their lawyers to commence contempt proceedings which would be filed today.
“The last institution somebody should play with is the Judiciary. Ourselves, as abiding citizens, despite having an an injunction in our favour we have given the courts way to determine this matter on merit, not that we cannot also organise conventions. We can but why should we do that undermining the judicial process?” he said. “The Kambwili group knows very well that this matter is before the courts but see what they are doing. Appointing people, doing the convention…This kind of disorderly and you want to ascend to the highest office in the land, that of President! God forbid. This is the person who is now going to PF. PF must be very careful because this is a person who asked God where Lungu came from but today he has gone to PF on his bended knees.”
Meanwhile, Akafumba said it was sad to see Kambwili being paraded by the PF as NDC president when the ruling party knew that there was currently a matter in Ndola where an injunction was obtained against him not to continue masquerading as leader of the opposition party.
He recalled that Kambwili’s response was that they applied to have the matter stayed pending payment of costs in a discontinued matter in Lusaka.
Akafumba, a lawyer, said a stay of proceeding does not discharge an injunction and therefore the fact that the matter was before court and the presidency of Kambwili was in question, it was improper for PF secretary general Davies Mwila to flout the court injunction.
He said PF as the party in government must not be seen to interfere with the due process of the law, especially when the matter was before courts.
“It sets a very dangerous precedent and is unholy in that the PF were merely telling the courts that ‘you can stay with the injunction but as far as we are concerned this man (Kambwili) is president of NDC’, which really works to undermine the independence of the judiciary,” he said.
Akafumba said what the PF was doing was not expected of a government that upholds the rule of law and also separation of powers.
He said when a matter is before court, everyone was duty bound to respect the court’s authority.
“That’s why when a matter is before court we are not even allowed to comment on the matter so that you are not seen to be giving undue influence or pressure on the courts of law. Therefore, by that act, the PF is saying Kambwili is president of NDC, which is not,” he said.
Akafumba also noted that the Minister of Home Affairs had deregistered the NDC, not wanting it to exist.
He said it was shocking that in the PF’s feeble reasoning, suddenly NDC could be invited to their general conference.
“The ministry’s act means that NDC should not exist thus was deregistered in that manner and fashion. We went to the High Court to challenge its deregistration and we won that matter but the State which is controlled by PF, the ruling party in power, has appealed against the judgment of the Kabwe High Court. Loosely interpreted that they do not agree that NDC should continue existing…that the effect and the net result of that appeal before the Court of Appeal now which may have processed it at supersonic speed and only awaits a date of hearing, the PF through the Ministry of Home Affairs want NDC to be completely deregistered,” he said.
Akafumba said with the status quo, it was shocking that on one hand, the party and government wants to see NDC completely deregistered but on the other give the high table recognition to a ‘president’ of the party they want deregistered.
“It is these double standards that don’t add up and don’t mean well. So the question that anyone would ask ba Mwila is that, what does the PF and Ministry of Home Affairs want out of the NDC? Because going by the court records, they want it out. If they want it out, why then recognise Kambwili as president of NDC, a party which they have deregistered and the matter is actively in court?” he asked.
Akafumba said as it is, the PF, on both fronts were wrong to recognise Kambwili as president because it was them, through the Attorney General that have gone to court to state that NDC should not exist.
“It was improper and must be condemned. This is an indication that the country is now being led by people who don’t care about the rule of law; like headless chickens that cannot be trusted because the scandals we have seen cannot be explained even by Mwila himself,” he said. “On one angle, you have deregistered, because NDC now is existing based on a court order, which themselves they do not believe in, that’s why they have gone to the Court of Appeal. So are these leaders that one can really rely on to lead this country?”
Akafumba said it now appeared that when it suits the PF, because Kambwili is going to add up to their numbers, they were able to turn a blind eye to the rule of law.
“This is a ‘chipantepante’ kind of governance. That’s what we have where (Stephen) Kampyongo and his ministry and Attorney General want the party deregistered and on the other hand the [PF] secretary general recognises somebody as president and is given a chance to speak…” noted Akafumba. “To me that was not right. That was not proper and it really embarrassed the President (Lungu). When you are in a hurry to get votes, you make a lot of mistakes. In [the] hurry to show that your convention is an all-inclusive, you end up inviting even wrong people.”