RESIGN, INSISTS TUTWA

LAWYER Tutwa Ngulube has demanded that Eddie Mwitwa should resign as LAZ president on moral grounds before senior lawyers impeach him for fighting political battles which is against the mandate of Law Association of Zambia (LAZ).

Meanwhile, selfish individuals who have hijacked the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) are eroding its credibility, Campaign for the Restoration of National Values and Principles (CRNVP) executive director Justine Katongo has said. Mr Ngulube who is also Kabwe Central Member of Parliament, said Mr Mwitwa must step down because he had abrogated the rules of the association. He said Mr Mwitwa could not continue holding on as LAZ president because he had embarrassed the fraternity. Mr Ngulube was speaking in an interview yesterday. “It was against the rules of the association to engage in politics, the members of the association are supposed to be neutral and not fight political battles,” he said. And Mr Katongo said LAZ was fast eroding its credibility following the uncalled for antagonistic stance it had chosen to take against a popularly elected Government. He said in an interview that the public no longer saw LAZ as an organisation which meant well in its dealings. Mr Katongo observed that a few selfish individual members had hijacked LAZ to pursue their political ambitions. “The once trusted, respected and a highly constructive vibrant LAZ is to day just but a shadow of its former self,” he said Mr Katongo pointed out that the court’s refusal to grant LAZ an injunction was not just a humiliating outcome to the association but was also an embarrassment to the entire learned colleagues. He said he was disgusted with the chameleon and deceitful type of behaviour the LAZ leadership was exhibiting before the people of Zambia. “Our disgust as CRNVP is due to the fact that when Government through the Ministry of Justice decided to hold a national dialogue on the constitution making process, LAZ was among the first stakeholders that were invited to the forum,” Mr Katongo said. Mr Katongo observed that just because UPND decided to reject the National Dialogue Forum, LAZ leadership chose to jump on the band wagon. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court dismissed an application by LAZ for an injunction pending the determination of the case where it had challenged the enactment of the Constitutional Amendment Bill number 10 of 2019. LAZ has sued President Edgar Lungu, the Attorney General and the National Assembly over constitution Amendment Bill number 10 which passed first reading in parliament alleging that it is a contravention of the current constitution. But Constitutional Court Judge Annie Sitali dismissed the application because LAZ would not suffer damage even if the injunction was not granted.