ECZ NOT CREDIBLE
…Polling staff must desist from illegalities – Katotobwe
By Charles Musonda
PATRIOTS for Economic Progress (PeP) president Chanda Katotobwe says under the current commissioners the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is not a credible institution.
Meanwhile, Katotobwe, who was blocked from standing as presidential candidate in Thursday’s general elections, has urged polling staff who will be conducting this Thursday’s general elections to do the correct thing and avoid the temptation of engaging in criminal acts against the will of the people.
He said ECZ had decided to weaponise simple procedural administrative issues of nominations to become so tensed up that people could be blocked from contesting elections to give the incumbent an undue advantage.
Katotobwe said he and his would-be running mate Sean Tembo were victims of the ECZ’s lack of independence.
“ECZ must stop masquerading as an independent autonomous body because they are simply not independent. They listen to outsiders and that is how they received a K100,000 nomination fee from myself under the Patriots for Economic Progress and after receiving that fee they turned away our bid for nomination to stand for Presidency, yet accept some nomination from the Church for members of Parliament and Councilors, we have Penza Siame standing as aspiring Parliamentary candidate for Saise Constituency in Mbala under, Joshua Mawere in Kabwata Constituency and Emmanuel Banda as Councilor in Chilongozi Ward in Sinda,, all these submitted the same PeP documents or adoption certificate which was rejected at Presidential bid, then accepted at parliamentary and Councilor, this is recklessness by ECZ he said”.
Katotobwe said ECZ was not supposed to listen to outsiders.
“When you are appointed to these jobs, when you are made commissioner, you must be responsible, be a responsible citizen and know that this job you are appointed to requires you to be independent, requires you to be autonomous.
“If you are scared to be fired from your job, stand down. Don’t accept these jobs, which are so sensitive and border on the lives of so many people of Zambia,” he said.
Meanwhile, Katotobwe, who was blocked from standing as presidential candidate in Thursday’s general elections, has urged polling staff who will be conducting this Thursday’s general elections to do the correct thing and avoid the temptation of engaging in criminal acts against the will of the people.
He warned the poll staff to resist criminal instructions to interfere with the electoral process because there would be consequences.
“The people of Zambia have decided that they are changing the President of Zambia, we are going to see a new President emerge in the name of Brian Mundubile,” Katotobwe said.
“The electoral process must be protected by the monitors. Everybody who is involved in the elections must do the correct thing. Let’s not get involved in criminal acts because of pressure or trying to appease this [person] and that. All the polling staff; my appeal is that do the correct thing. When you do the correct thing, you are insulated from future issues that may arise because you did the correct thing,” he said.
He said this on KBN TV when he featured on the ‘Zambia Decides’ programme.
