UPND Petition Must Be Heard-Saunders…before dialogue between Lungu and HH starts
Political Analyst Dante Saunders insists that the 2016 Presidential Petition presented by United Party for National Development(UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema(HH) and his Running Mate Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba(GBM) must be heard in the courts of law, if the Patriotic Front(PF) and their leader President Edgar Lungu can be cleared of electoral malpractices as alleged by many local and international stakeholders.
Saunders said in an interview that Zambians should not talk about dialogue between President Lungu and Hichilema without the court hearing the Presidential Petition.
He said the political tension that has prevailed in the aftermath of the 2016 General Election is as a result of the Constitutional Court led by Helda Chibomba not hearing the Presidential Petition.
Saunders said it is important that all the electoral problems are resolved before talking about the 2021 General Elections.
“This dialogue they are talking about should be beneficial to the people. President Lungu can easily call HH and tell him that ‘look man I misfired there. Forgive me’ and after which the petition hearing can commerce. Otherwise, the Petition must be heard before dialogue,” Saunders noted.
He said what ordinary Zambians want is a good Constitution that will remove powers from the President to abuse state institutions such the Drug Enforcement Commission(DEC), Zambia Police Service, the Anti-Corruption Commission Commission(ACC) and the Courts of Law with impunity.
” The PF are not coming out straight on what they want to dialogue. They have not given any guideline on how they want the dialogue meeting to proceed. I think what the ordinary Zambian like myself want is a credible Constitution that will stop a sitting President from abusing state institutions with impunity like personal to holder companies. The President should not be allowed to interfere with the operations of the DEC, ACC and Zambia Police Services,” the Political Activist said.