Sun, 23 Jul 2017 08:20:14 +0000
By Grace Chaile Lesoetsa
A plot to destabilise the Patriotic Front (PF) party was yesterday exposed and two members have been expelled.
Out-spoken Roan Member of Parliament Chishimba Kambwili and embattled former Chimwemwe constituency MP Mwenya Musenge were expelled at a round table meeting attended by the members of the central committee which lasted for over 10 hours at State House.
Impeccable sources in the central committee confirmed the expulsion of the two men with immediate effect.
This means Kambwili loses his seat as Roan MP according to Article 72 (2) (e), which states that an MP loses his seat if he/she is expelled from the political party which sponsored the member for election to the National Assembly.
But Mr Kambwili also confirmed his expulsion in a phone interview but immediately declared that the action was illegal
Mr Kambwili and Musenge were expelled for alleged gross indiscipline and widespread activities to undermine the party in Luapula, Copperbelt, Central and Lusaka Provinces.
The duo failed to exculpate themselves when the evidence was put to them.
“Kambwili admitted that a former minister who was an MP in Muchinga Province proposed to him to form a splinter party to undermine PF,
“He claimed that he declined the idea but this was only after he was challenged to deny whether the meeting took place at his home comprising of him, Musenge and three other former MPs,” the source said.
Mr Kambwili however denied having attended the same meeting claiming that Musenge and the trio came to see him when he was sick and that he denied the proposal for a splinter party when one of them presented the idea.
And Mr Nickson Chilangwa, Kawambwa MP presented evidence that Kambwili went to three places and distributed money and criticised the party as a total failure.
Musenge was also alleged to have delivered K110,000 to three known chiefs in Luapula last week. The embattled former Mp is however rumoured to have denied issuing any money.
All current Patriotic Front (PF) Members of the Central Committee except one attended Saturday’s meeting to discuss various party matters. PF deputy Spokesperson Frank Bwalya said that Ms. Emerine Kabanshi sent her apologies as she was attending to other national duties.
But the angry Mr Kambwili went further to confirm his expulsion on his Facebook page saying he would today hold a press briefing at his home in Woodlands.
“This is to confirm that today 22/07/2017 I have been illegally expelled from the Patriotic Front with immediate effect,
“I will hold a press briefing tomorrow at 10:30 hours in the morning at my Lusaka home in woodlands, right near state house, all media houses to be seated by 10:00hours. Though I fall, I will rise again, Micah 7:8,” he wrote.
