. Mumba

By CHARITY MOONGA –
MMD president Nevers Mumba has with immediate effect expelled party national secretary Muhabi Lungu and his deputy Chembe Nyangu.
But Mr Nyangu has described Dr Mumba’s action as illegal because the party president has no power to expel anyone from the party and that only the national executive committee (NEC) has the capacity to do so.
Addressing a Press briefing at the MMD secretariat yesterday, Dr Mumba said he had expelled Mr Lungu and Mr Nyangu for not only insubordination but gross indiscipline.
Mr Lungu and Mr Nyangu have since been replaced by Chembe Member of Parliament Mwansa Mbulakulima and Winnie Zaloumis as acting national secretary and deputy national secretary, respectively.
Dr Mumba also revoked all the 10 presidential nominations on the NEC and a new list would be made available soon and all the appointments would ratified by the NEC.
The MMD president said divisions in the party had been a result of statements by Mr Lungu who had harangued the name of the MMD president and held meetings at the secretariat and used party resources to fight him (Dr Mumba).
“I brought Mr Lungu to this party but he has erred,” Dr Mumba said.
“Our relationship is still great but I have released him, his bad action is destructive.”
Dr Mumba said MMD would continue to respect former president Rupiah Banda and accord him the respect he deserved, and that the party would not be vindictive against any member. He urged all true MMD members to remain united.
Dr Mumba, who met Mr Banda at 9:30hours yesterday would also meet the MMD MPs to map the way forward on the issue of the campaigns.
On Monday, an audit of books at the MMD secretariat would take place to ascertain what transpired to party resources and enable the party start on a new slate.
Dr Mumba, who condemned tribalism, called for reconciliation, adding that it was his prayer that Mr Banda would assist him campaign for the benefit of the MMD and the nation.
“There is only one MMD, one constitution and one president, so if we hold on to this, we will make extensive progress,” he said.
Reacting to the expulsion, Mr Nyangu accused Dr Mumba of destroying the MMD and treating it like a ‘Kantemba’.
If Dr Mumba wanted to make money using the MMD, Mr Nynangu said he should just go ahead without victimising others.
He said the MMD was a democratic party but was being destroyed by Dr Mumba who was treating the party as his own.
The MMD NEC had discovered that Dr Mumba was not sellable and would lose the forthcoming presidential election, hence the move to bring in Mr Banda.
Mr Nyangu said the MMD was run constitutionally. Political parties should be allowed to choose leaders and courts should not be allowed to impose leaders on political parties.
“Dr Mumba will not get support from any one. If you impose a leader, Nevers Mumba will be the last in this coming election. We are all moving away and will leave the MMD for him,” he said.