THE Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has expressed disappointment towards the unprofessional conduct of the Tonse Alliance officials who stormed and disturbed the Kawambwa nominations yesterday, calling the behavior as thuggish and unbecoming.
During the nominations, some members of the alliance, including Mambilima Member of Parliament, Jean Chisenga, a said NCP lawyer, Celestine Mukandalila, and Peter Chanda, stormed the nominations center without accreditation while accompanying the National Congress Party (NCP) aspiring candidate during the filing process.
And following the conduct which is a breach of the electoral process, the Commission is considering legal action against the culprits.
This is according to a statement issued by ECZ senior corporate affairs officer Sylvia Bwalya.
Yesterday, PEP president and Tonse Alliance spokesperson, Sean Tembo made some negative reports in various media houses tagging the NCP nomination process which he claimed that the Alliance had provided annual returns for the NCP for 10 years.
But Bwalya differed with Tembo’s claim, stating that the only thing the Commission received from the alliance is a letter displayed on a phone, and no annual returns as they claimed.
She said the undated letter, received on December 18, 2023, was addressed to the chief electoral officer and requested acceptance of the NCP adoption certificate, adding that the certificate reportedly contained different names from those registered with the Registrar of Societies.
She said the names were also different from those used during nominations for the Mayembe Ward in Shiwang’andu District and Kapamba Ward in Mpika on January 23, 2024.
“These allegations are entirely false, unwarranted, and meant to mislead and misinform the public,” Bwalya said.
She further stated that the Tonse Alliance also claims that the list of officeholders used by the Commission contained names written in pen.
“This is false, as ECZ officers had a printed document from the Registrar of Societies,” she clarified.
Meanwhile, on the allegation that ECZ was forced to accept the NCP nomination, Bwalya stated that the returning officer made an independent decision, accepting the nomination papers for further scrutiny after due consideration.
She further urged the public to dismiss such allegations, including Tembo’s, adding that the commission intends to nullify the NCP candidate’s nomination.
By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba November 22, 2024
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