Africa-Press – Zambia. Former Kwacha Member of Parliament has asked the High Court to declare the election for Kwacha Constituency held on 21st October, 2022 as void for non-compliance.
In a petition filed Wednesday, Hon. Joe Malanji also seeks a declaration that Hon Charles Mulenga was not duly elected as Member of Parliament from an election that did not meet the standards required by the Electoral law.
Hon Malanji has also challenged the participation of Lawrence Kasonde who had resigned but was allowed to participate in an election. The Electoral Commission of Zambia had set election dates and allowed campaigns in Kwacha constituency during time when the High Court had restrained all activities to take place in Kabushi.
During the Constitutional Court hearing in October, 2022, the Electoral Commission of Zambia had told the Court that they could not cancel an election and call for fresh nominations in Kwacha Constituency as the election had been stayed by the Court order, the position which the Constitutional Court endorsed on 17th October, 2022.
ECZ later U-turned and start conducting election activities in defiance of the same court order the Commission and the Court said was valid, an act the Attorney General told News Diggers was cleared by the Constitutional Court.
Meanwhile, Mr Malanji has said that he cannot withdraw what he has done for the community, adding that Kwacha Constituency is his family. Hon Malanji said if he was to collect the things he has donated to the community, “the first place would be the Riverside Police Camp itself.”
“In 2007, the whole police camp had no adequate power. ZESCO only provided cables to do the wiring of the whole police camp. I spent $35,000 to buy three transformers and other accessories to have the police camp connected.”
This follows reports that some sections of society have been going round telling the people of Kwacha that the former Member of Parliament had been getting back what he donated to the community following the outcome of the Kwacha by-elections.
The political heavyweight had been “blocked” from participating in the elections, an act that made well-meaning Zambians to question the independence of the Electoral Commission of Zambia and the Judiciary at large.
Speaking when he addressed the media yesterday, Hon Malanji, who the people of Kwacha refer to as Bonanza due to his generosity said being an MP was not something for him to be opportunistic about.
The former lawmaker whose popularity has over the years grown due to his community services from own money has vowed that he will go back to the Constituency and continue with the works that he has always been doing. On allegations that he has started grabbing the things he donated, he asked “if I’m to do that how many things will I have to grab?”
And commenting on the elections in Kwacha and Kabushi Constituencies which were characterized with an extreme poor turnout due to the absence of Bonanza and the Bulldozer (Hon Bowman Lusambo) from the ballot, Hon Malamji said what electorates did should not be taken lightly.
He explained that the electorates sent a strong message which warns against taking Zambians for granted. The former lawmaker mocked the UPND for having failed to bring message of hope to the people of Kwacha as they just concentrated on talking about his helicopters.
He stressed that as opposed to being in Parliament for the salary, he was there for service. “I will go back to them and continue working. The people of Kwacha and Kabushi have sent a strong message. Don’t take Zambians for granted…. they sent Campaigners and the only message they had was Malanji’s helicopters. I have told them to dig deeper,” he said.
“The police are now going in churches to search for what I have donated, where is the morality in this society? They now want to go into the community creating fake stories.
That will never happen. I am telling the people of Kwacha, that is my family. There’s no way I can withdraw what I have done for the community. The same Constituency, tomorrow my son will be there to render services, my nephew will be there…. I’m morally upright, there is no way I can do that.”
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