PF Cadres camp at court
The opposition UPND has demanded that the Zambia Police get rid of the PF thugs camped on the grounds of the Courts to put undue pressure on the Constitutional Court tabling the presidential election petition.
Some PF cadres have been camping at the Court grounds since Saturday awaiting for the presidential election petition trial that resumes on Monday, tomorrow, September 5, 2016.
The PF have condemned the decision by the Constitutional Court to extend hearing of the presidential election petition to the stipulated 14 days.
UPND Secretary General Stephen Katuka in a statement to Zambian Eye on Sunday said there is a breakdown of law in Zambia. He has since appealed to the International community to take keen interest of what is happening in Zambia.
Below is a Katuka’s full statement:
We have always said it that there is a lot of lawlessness and breakdown of law and order under Edgar Lungu and the PF Government.
The PF leadership has been breaking the law with impunity and they go unpunished, while any small accusations by our members, they are arrested and given the harshest punishments such as aggravated robbery offences which are non-bailable.
Today we are seeing PF thugs freely camping and drinking beer right outside the sacred institutions of judiciary, which is also near the Police Service Headquarters with a view to disrupt court proceedings coming up tomorrow, Monday.
As far as the PF leadership is concerned, justice must always be in their favour regardless of the legal provisions.
As at now, President-elect Edgar Lungu has not vacated office, a move against the constitutional provisions when there is a petition in place, but as UPND, we have not gone into the streets to protest.
Lungu broke the constitution by keeping his ministers in office after the dissolution of Parliament and as UPND, we took a civil route of going to court with the Law Association of Zambia, as opposed to the streets and we proved that he was wrong.
The PF leadership must know that Zambia is bigger than their selfish individual interests of wanting to amass wealth at the expense of the majority of the Zambian people.
The actions they are now taking of intimidation and putting pressure on the judiciary and other constitutional office bearers is unacceptable and a recipe for anarchy in the country.
We call on other stakeholders and the international community to pay attention to the recklessness and breakdown of law and order under the PF leadership that is currently going on.
We continue to appeal for peace and unity in the country, but our patience is being tested beyond limits.
The police must immediately act impartially before Zambia decends into an all out broken country like others that were once peaceful nations but have now degenerated.
Stephen Katuka
UPND Secretary General