Africa-Press – Zambia. MMD members on the Copperbelt alleged that party leader Nevers Mumba’s mandate will come to an end next Wednesday and have demanded a national convention. But Mumba says he has only served for six years, yet the party constitution mandates him to serve two five-year terms.
Ndola MMD district chairman Hamson Chisenga accused Mumba of attempting to subvert the party constitution and gave the national executive committee 48 hours to convene a meeting to declare the office of MMD president vacant.
“On behalf of the Copperbelt Province members of this great party the MMD and the defenders of democracy, we are calling upon the leadership at NEC (National Executive Committee) not to go to sleep. They should wake up and defend the party constitution which Dr Nevers Mumba is attempting to rape with impunity,” he said. “We are in total agreement with the statement that was issued by Mr S. M. Nkonde, Serenje MMD district secretary to the party leadership who raised pertinent issues concerning the tenure of office for the party president as enshrined in our MMD constitution. Article 40(1) states and I quote, ‘the president of the party SHALL hold office for two (2) terms of five years each and SHALL not be eligible for re-election’.” Chisenga urged the NEC to save the MMD from sliding into oblivion, saying Mumba had served two terms in office as stated in the party’s constitution.
“It is for this reason we urge the National Executive Committee to wake up from slumber and save the party from going into total oblivion as we remind them that the mandate for Dr Nevers Mumba will come to an end on 25th May, 2022 as per his own argument that he was elected in May 2012. Therefore, Dr Nevers Mumba has clocked 10 years in office as stated in our MMD constitution in Article 40 (1),” Chisenga said. “We give the NEC a maximum of 48 hours to convene an emergency NEC meeting to declare the vacancy in the office of the president and invoke Article 14(1) (2) of the party constitution which states that, ‘(1) A regular convention of the party shall be held every five years. (2) The convention shall be summoned by the National Executive Committee one month prior to its meeting failure to which the provincial executive committees must proceed to petition NEC through the office of the national secretary to call for an extraordinary convention as per Article 15(1) which states that, ‘The National Executive Committee may on its own initiative, or at the request of at least one third of the provincial executive committees convene an extraordinary meeting of the convention.”
Chisenga called for general amnesty of all party members serving suspensions. “In the same vein, MMD is known to have been established on the values of co-existence and unity in diversity. It is in this spirit that we call upon the leadership of our great party at NEC to call for amnesty so that all members that were perceived to have erred or were seen to be in bad standing with the party, to be unconditionally pardoned so that the party can hold an all-inclusive regular national convention,” said Chisenga.
He was flanked by the party’s Chifubu Constituency chairman Fortunatus Mutale. And when contacted for comment, Mumba said the same group that fought him previously has started again.
“It is the same ex-Rupiah [Banda] group. I have clocked six and half years. Will ask VP [vice-president Reuben] Samboh to respond if he thinks it is necessary. Please call him. I am out of the country,” said Mumba.
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