THE INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES ARE DOUBLE CROSSING THE PF AND UPND

KABUSHI potential Member of Parliament, Mr Alfred Yombwe and his colleague in Kwacha constituency, Mr Lawrence Kasonde are opportunists sacrificing their leadership potential.

The two were duly nominated as independent candidates in the Kwacha and Kabushi by-elections, originally set for September 15, 2022. As the PF heavyweights in Joseph Malanji for Kwacha and Bowman “Bulldozer” Lusambo for Kabushi fought the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and the state over their disqualification, the two announced their withdrawal from the by-elections.

Their withdrawal forced one of the country’s leading electoral watchdogs, GEARS of Mr MacDonald Chipenzi to take the matter to the ConCourt for interpretation of withdrawal and resignation by Independent candidates in any election.

As the pull and push between the main parties moved from High Court to ConCourt and Appeals Court, the duo have rescinded their decision and announced that they are back in the race.

Their recent action, if anything looks like the young political adventurists are double crossing the main camps of the PF and UPND. They are eating with both hands.

The question we are facing is related to their value in this election forcing the main players to throw cash at them. For the PF, the duo was strategic in securing more time as matters played out in court.

As for the UPND, they needed more noise makers to popularise the UPND on the ground. These by-elections are first past the post; even one vote of an independent can upturn the tables.

As voters, we are keeping our fingers closed as the courts prepare to make their final determination. These by-elections are an interesting case study for legal review by those keen on constitutional developments in the nation.

So far, besides the main parties to the case, we have had GEARS adding a different dimension and more recently, another by Green Party President, Peter Sinkamba and governance activist, Mr Isaac Mwanza whose arguments are about no time extension provision in the constitution.