By CHILA NAMAIKO –

MMD Lunte Member of Parliament (MP) Felix Mutati has refused to be expelled from former ruling party Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) and accused party leader Nevers Mumba of abrogating the party’s constitution to expel him.
Mr Mutati said he is an active MMD member who could not be expelled, because he had not violated the party constitution.
His stance was brushed aside by the party acting spokesperson Reuben Sambo, who in a statement maintained that the expulsion was final.
“This is because the decision was made by a legally constituted extra-ordinary National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and the NEC is the highest party organ between conventions,” he said.
Reverend Sambo said according to the MMD constitution, the NEC had powers to deal with any disciplinary case, including that of NEC members as per party guidelines.
He wondered why Mr Mutati had taken four weeks to respond to the issues of double-dealings that were earlier raised by party national treasurer Elizabeth Chitika.
On the suspension of Raphael Nakacinda, who described the action as a sham, Rev Sambo said Mr Nakacinda was present during the NEC meeting that passed his verdict.
But Mr Mutati at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday said he had not violated the party constitution and demanded to exculpate himself.
“I am not going to be expelled from MMD, this party doesn’t belong to Dr Mumba, my ambition is not to take over MMD, but to see that our party is not sold for alliances,” he said.
He claimed to have had learnt of his expulsion through communiqué and that he was accorded time to exculpate himself.
He said his desire was to see a strong MMD, void of violence, hate speech, and regional politics, and reiterated the need to go for a party convention to elect new leaders.
Mr Mutati disclosed that he was not bitter with Dr Mumba, but only differed in the manner the latter was handling party affairs and that he had no intentions of joining the UPND.
He said in the run up to January 20 presidential election, he and other MMD MPs only supported UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema, but did not want to enter into an alliance.