Dr Ludwig Sondashi
Former Justice Minister and Lusaka senior constitutional lawyer Dr Ludwig Sondashi has described as incompetent the judgement to dismiss the Presidential petition by the constitutional court on Monday September 5, 2016.
Dr Sondashi, who is also President of the opposition Forum for Democratic Alternative has said its wrong, irrational and incompetent for the Constitutional Court Judges to dismiss the presidential petition filed by UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba due to time limit of 14 days.
He says the Constitution never intended to bar the Constitutional Court from delivering justice and truth. In a statement, Dr Sondashi says this decision by the Court renders their ruling purely academic.
Dr Sondashi says the time limit is legally a bar to the commencement of proceedings and not to the proceedings that has already commenced.
He states that the Court should have proceeded to cure the dilemma in order to do what the Constitution intended to achieve.
Meanwhile Fourth Revolution president Eric Chanda has charged that Hichilema and his running mate Mwamba had put their interest first before that of the Zambian people when they petitioned the presidential election outcome.
Chanda says the country was on auto pilot and the two leaders did not think of what would become of the people.
He told journalists in Lusaka that leaders should not be seen to frustrate the efforts of the people they wish to serve.
Chanda hopes that political parties have learnt serious lessons from the just ended presidential election petition.