. Dr Mumba
By DELPHINE ZULU –
OPPOSITION MMD leader, Nevers Mumba yesterday defied a court order that restrained him and others from going ahead to hold the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting which endorsed Muhabi Lungu as national secretary.
The NEC also brushed aside calls to hold an extra-ordinary convention on grounds that out of the six petitions received, only one was valid. It argued that the other five were allegedly criminally or fraudulently obtained.
The NEC had since resolved that the two vice presidents for administration, Brian Chituwo and politics Michael Kaingu be subjected to disciplinary action.
Dr Kaingu-led faction is against the endorsement of Mr Lungu as national secretary.
High Court Judge Eddie Sikazwe in his ruling yesterday in chambers restrained the defendants, servants or agents from convening the NEC meeting to elect the party’s national secretary until further orders by the court.
“It is hereby ordered that the defendants be restrained from doing whether by himself, his servants or agents or otherwise however from convening the NEC meeting to elect the national secretary of MMD until further orders of the court or until further determination of the matter and that costs be in the cause,” said Mr Justice Sikazwe.
Dr Chituwo and Dr Kaingu dragged the party to court seeking to restrain the MMD from going ahead to hold the NEC meeting and to declare it as an illegal meeting.
Lawyers representing Dr Mumba, Jonas Zimba and Makebie Zulu, who were also at Kapingila House throughout the meeting, denied receiving or having been served the injunction.
Dr Mumba in an interview, also denied seeing or being served with any injunction. He said had he seen such a document, he would have sought legal advice and taken necessary steps.
The vice presidents who sued the party through acting national secretary, Chembe Nyangu also asked for an order that any acts, decisions and elections done or conducted by the defendants without following laid down procedures were illegal, null and void until the matter was disposed off.
But Dr Mumba and other senior party officials convened at Kapingila
House in Lusaka’s Kabulonga Township at 14:00 hours and held a closed door meeting for over three hours where Mr Lungu was unanimously elected new national secretary.
Addressing the press, vice national chairperson Edgar Keembe said others elected were Rose Banda as chairperson for Local Government and Housing, while the position of chairperson for Transport and Communications went to Kamwengo Kamiti.
Mr Keembe warned that the party would not allow people with selfish motives to destabilise it.
He said only Western Province had valid signatures while the rest were questionable.
