FIVE candidates contesting the Solwezi Central parliamentary seat yesterday successfully filed in their nomination papers.
United National Independence Party (UNIP) candidate Mary Katiki was the first to file her nomination papers followed by the ruling Patriotic Front (PF)’s Newton Malwa.
There was, however, confusion at the centre at 12:00 hours as two of United Party for National Development (UPND) candidates wanted to file in their papers to contest the Solwezi Central seat.
The two are Dawson Kafwaya and former Member of Parliament (MP) Watson Lumba.
This forced the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) officials to advise the UPND leadership to resolve the dispute.
Former Solwezi Central MP Lucky Mulusa, who is re-contesting the seat on the MMD ticket, successfully filed in his papers at 13:00 hours.
The Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) is also contesting the seat and its candidate Nathan Mulonga successfully filed in his papers at 14:00 hours.
However, the UPND later resolved their differences and Mr Kafwaya successfully filed in after Mr Lumba withdrew from the race.
The by-election is slated for September 11, 2014.
In Mkushi South, three candidates from the MMD, PF and UPND successfully filled in their nomination papers and were all optimistic of winning the by-election.
The  first to file was MMD’s Sydney Chisanga followed by PF’s Davies Chisopa while Agnes Ngandu, contesting on the UPND’s ticket filed her papers later.
In Kasenengwa, the filing-in of nomination papers was characterised by confusion when an adoption certificate for UPND candidate Timothy Nyirenda was allegedly stolen by unknown people at the nomination centre.
Mr Nyirenda only discovered that his adoption certificate was missing when he was about to file in his papers.
Mr Nyirenda found that the bag containing his documents, including a certificate of adoption signed by the UPND secretary general, had been stolen from the vehicle.
The visibly annoyed Mr Nyirenda, who once served as parliamentarian, accused the MMD camp of having been behind the disappearance of his papers.
Calm was only restored after Mr Nyirenda was assured by ECZ that he would file his nomination papers.
MMD’s Victoria Kalima was first to file in the nomination papers at 10:30 hours followed by UNIP’s Khumbiza Daka at 13:10 hours.
PF candidate Gideon Zulu was the third to file at 14:22 hours while accompanied by Eastern Province Minister Malozo Sichone as well as PF chairperson Attany Mwamba.
UPND’s Mr Nyirenda filed in his papers at 15:00 hours but independent candidate Jairos Sakala could not manage to file in his nomination papers because his supporters had no voters and national registration cards for verification purposes.
In Vubwi, UPND’s Alphonsio Phiri was the first to file in his nomination papers and was followed by PF’s Margaret Miti, MMD’s Eustarckio Kazonga. UNIP is fielding Lucas Phiri and Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) Charles Nyoka for the same seat.-Times of Zambia/ZANIS