We’ll not give up easily on Kasama seat - GBM

THE nullification of Sibongile Mwamba’s elec tion as Kasama Central Member of Parliament on flimsy grounds is targeted at fighting me but we shall not give the seat away to UPND, PF national mobili sation chairperson Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba has said.

Mr Mwamba, popularly known as GBM, said he was aware that the election of his daughter was nullified be cause the UPND had hatred against him.

He however said that the ruling UPND had no muscle to fight PF in Kasama be cause the former ruling party was still very popular on the ground and that he would ensure that the seat was retained.

Mr Mwamba said the nullification of the Kasama Central seat held by Sibongile Mwamba was not ordinary as UPND were targeting to fight him.

Mr Mwamba said at no point did he utter tribal re marks when campaigning in Kasama Central in August this year.

He also wondered how PF senior official Chishimba Kambwili could be impli cated in the matter when he never campaigned in Kasama Central.

Mr Mwamba said Mr Kambwili only campaigned in Lukashya Constituency.

Mr Mwamba said he knows why the seat has been nulli fied because the UPND has hatred against him.

"Can that be justification enough that we uttered tribal remarks? Mr Kambwili was uttering the same language wherever he went, he cam paigned in Lukashya and not Kasama Central, why haven’t they nullified Lukashya," he said.And Mr Mwamba is con fident that the High Court judgement will be overturned by the Constitutional Court because the grounds on which the seat has been nullified are baseless.

Mr Mwamba however said even if they call for a by-elec tion, the UPND cannot win the seat.

"If we go for by-elections, they won’t win,” he said.

Meanwhile, Patriotic Front (PF) Wusakile constit uency Member of Parliament was yesterday declared duly elected after the election pe tition by losing UPND can didate Robert Zimba was dismissed by the Kitwe High Court.

Kitwe High Court Judge Penjani Lamba dismissed the petition and declared Mr Kalobo as duly elected be cause the evidence presented in court lacked evidence and merit to guarantee the nullifi cation of the election.

In this matter Mr Kalobo was first respondent, while the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was the sec ond respondent. When the matter came up for judge ment ,Judge Lamba said Mr Zimba's evidence in court lacked evidence and merit to guarantee the nullification of the election of Mr Kalobo as Wusakile MP.

"The evidence in its to tality was not proved to a high degree. The elections in Wusakile constituency were free and fair. The petitioners' evidence lacked merit and had no evidence in its totali ty," Ms Lamba said.

On the alleged discrepan cies on the Gen 20 brought by the petitioner, Ms Lamba said only four, out of 69, had min imal alterations which could however not make the peti tioner lose the election.

The petitioner claimed be fore court that elections in Wusakile constituency were characterized by violence, didn’t provide an equal play ing field and violation of sev eral provisions of the electoral act.

And speaking in an inter view after the judgement, Mr Kalobo said it was petty for the election to be petitioned as it had already reflected the views of the the people of the constituency as evidenced af ter election results