‘LAZ EMBARRASSING LAWYERS’
…as lawyers distance themselves from Mwitwa’s remarks
The legal practitioners feel that the LAZ position was biased, incorrect and not representative of the association’s stance on the matter.
The arguments that Counsel Sangwa is bringing up were presented and the court did not agree with him. I am a member of LAZ but I do not share their position on this matter but I respect and they are also expected to respect the court’s decision.
LAWYERS have distanced themselves from the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) stance that the Constitutional Court ruling on the eligibility case did not imply that President Edgar Lungu qualified to contest the 2021 elections.
The lawyers said LAZ president, Eddie Mwitwa was speaking in his personal capacity because there was no consultative meeting to determine the association’s position.
The legal practitioners feel that the LAZ position was biased, incorrect and not representative of the association’s stance on the matter.
Lawyers Jonas Zimba, Hobday Kabwe and Tutwa Ngulube said in separate interviews that Mr Mwitwa was offside on President Lungu’s eligibility to contest the 2021 elections.
Mr Zimba said LAZ should respect the Constitutional Court's decision on President Lungu's eligibility case.
He said he does not share the views of the association and State Counsel John Sangwa who resurrected the debate.
Mr Zimba said arguments by Mr Sangwa and LAZ were presented before the Constitutional Court and were not considered hence the need to respect the court's decision.
"The arguments that Counsel Sangwa is bringing up were presented and the court did not agree with him. I am a member of LAZ but I do not share their position on this matter but I respect and they are also expected to respect the court's decision," he said.
And Mr Kabwe said decisions that were being made by LAZ were strange as they were not objective and genuine.
He observed that LAZ, under Mr Mwitwa’s regime had taken a biased stance against Government at the expense of objectively guiding the nation on legal matters.
Mr Kabwe said as guided by the Constitutional Court, President Lungu was eligible to contest 2021 elections and wondered why LAZ was supporting the misplaced position of Mr Sangwa.
“The position taken by LAZ is strange and one wonders who they consulted to come up with that because the
ConCourt decision is clear that President Lungu is eligible. That is the opinion of Mr Mwitwa and it should not be taken as representative of all of us,” Mr Kabwe said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ngulube said it was embarrassing to the legal fraternity for LAZ to support Mr Sangwa when the matter was clear even to ordinary citizens that President Lungu was eligible.
He also demanded that Mr Sangwa be stripped of his State Counsel position as he had failed to live up to the standard of a senior lawyer.
Mr Ngulube said Mr Sangwa and Mr Mwitwa were advancing a hidden agenda at the expense of professionalism.