Bill 10 failure has no effect on Lungu eligibility, minister explains

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu will contest the 2021 general elections despite Bill 10 falling off because he is eligible, Minister of Justice Given Lubinda has said.

And Government Chief Whip, Brian Mundubile says the eligibility of President Edgar Lungu is water under the bridge, the courts ruled that he was eligible to stand, so we are very comfortable, we have the candidate .

Mr Mundubile stated that the courts were petitioned over the eligibility of President Lungu and all the arguments that are being advanced by opposition political parties regarding the Head of State’s eligibility were advanced in the courts of law and the courts ruled in his favour.

Mr Lubinda said as far as the party and the legal fraternity were concerned, President Lungu was eligible to contest the 2021 elections.

“They can give all those threats, the one thing for sure is that come next year we are going to file in nomination for President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to contest as President of the Republic of Zambia and we shall campaign.

And by the way we shall campaign for Bill 10, we shall dissect Bill 10, we shall go to Zambians and tell them, we shall tell the chiefs of this country that the chiefdoms of this country are threatened because UPND MPS did not want to vote,” he said. Mr Lubinda indicated that the opposition would feel the heat of the Head of State come 2021 because he would appear on the ballot paper. The minister said nothing would stop President Lungu from contesting the 2021 general elections.

He said yesterday at a media briefing, “Come September 2021 we shall go back to all these issues under the tutorage of President Lungu.”

And Mr Lubinda said the Public Order Act would only be amended when the constitution would be amended.

Mr Lubinda who is also Kabwata Member of Parliament said now that the bill which sought to amend the act had been thrown away the Act would remain the way it was.

“When Mr Kampyongo presented the Public Order Act bill in Parliament what did the leader of opposition in Parliament do, he stood up and said Mr Speaker we can’t present the bill until we we finish Bill 10 which aims to amend the constitution.

Now that the bill did not pass, we will wait until the amendment of the constitution that is when the Public Order Act would be amended also,” he said.