Miles Sampa, a presidential candidate for the PATRIOTIC FRONT (PF), wrote to the Registrar of Societies to voice his concern about the way his party is choosing its leadership without according to the Constitution.
Provided Lubinda was unlawfully appointed as acting president and Nickson Chilangwa was unjustly appointed as acting secretary general, according to Mr. Sampa, who also accused former president Edgar Lungu of flagrantly disregarding the Party Constitution.
“I wish to state from the onset that, the purpose of writing to your good office is to bring to the attention of your office the illegal manner in which the PF is appointing its leadership without following the provisions of the Party Constitutions, and more so, its failure to comply with the mandatory provisions laid down in the Society Act. Chapter 119 of the laws of Zambia, an Act which your good office administers,” reads the letter in parts.
Mr. Sampa asserts that the former Party President’s activities, including the appointment of party officials after he left office, violated not only the PF Party Constitution but also the provisions of Article 60 (2) (d) of the Republic of Zambia’s Constitution No. 2 of 2016.
He pleaded with the office to fulfill its oversight duty by seeing to it that the PF Party holds its extraordinary Party Convention and elects its leadership in accordance with the party Constitution.
“Furthermore, I believe it is a mandatory requirement that an association under your jurisdiction must operate within the confines of the Constitution, hence the mandatory requirement under section 17 of the Societies Act, Chapter 119 of the laws of Zambia, to notify your Office of any change to any Associations’ Constitution to enable your Office to ascertain whether or not such an Association is complying with the provisions of its Constitution,” the letter state.
Since then, Mr. Sampa has urged that the Registrar of Societies take action to compel the party to organize elections for the vacant office of president and other members of the Central Committee in accordance with the PF party constitution within seven days of receiving the letter.
Failure to which I shall without further recourse to you proceed to commerce legal action against your office to compel you execute your statutory supervisory role under the Societies Act,” he said.
