Metro

Zambian Speaker Mutti refuses to declare seats of expelled MPs vacant

Published

11 months ago

December 30, 2023

Speaker of the Zambian National Assembly, Nelly Mutti, has refused to bow to pressure and declare parliamentary seats belonging to nine expelled Members of Parliament (MPs) from the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) vacant, pending court rulings on the matter.

An affidavit submitted to the Constitutional Court on Friday by the Assembly Deputy Clerk, Cecilia Sikatele-Mambwe, had indicated that the nine MPs were expelled by PF factional leader, Miles Sampa, and his Secretary-General, Morgan Ng’ona, remained members of the assembly, contrary to repeated claims by Sampa that they ceased to be MPs and that their seats must be declared vacant.

The affidavit was in support of the response by the Attorney-General to the petition in which the nine are contesting their expulsion following their purported dismissal in an announcement made by Ng’ona last month.

The affected MPs are contesting their expulsion by the Sampa-led PF on the grounds that the faction had no requisite authority to execute an expulsion as Sampa himself had been expelled from the party.

They are seeking a declaration that the purported actions of the speaker to act on the letters sent to her by Ng’onga was and is illegal and, therefore, null and void ab initio as such actions were and are a violation of Article 60(2) of the Republican Constitution (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016.

They also seek an interim order allowing them and the party to operate freely, and for Sampa and Ng’onga to stop masquerading as PF president and Secretary General respectively.

In the affidavit, the Deputy Clerk stated that the Speaker had not acted on the letters because she is awaiting the court’s decision on the matter, in accordance with the Constitution.

“It is only after the confirmation of the expulsion by the court or the elasping of the period within which to challenge the expulsion, that the Speaker is mandated, by the constitution, within seven days, to inform the ECZ of the occurence of the vacancy,” she said.

“Consequently,the office of the Speaker has not acted on the letter of expulsion from the second tespondent, therefore, the Petitioners remain members of Parliament,” she submitted.

Related Topics:Featured National Assembly Nelly Mutti PF Zambia

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Metro

Nigerian govt to begin tracking terrorists’ social media accounts

Published

39 minutes ago

November 25, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government says it will begin tracking social media accounts run by terrorists following a disturbing infiltration of the space by insurgents and bandits.

In recent times, known terrorists and bandit leaders have been using different social media platforms to either propagate their agenda or taunt security operatives, with some daring authorities to engage them in direct combat.

A new Islamist terror group, Lakurawa, was also discovered to be using social media platforms to spread their propaganda and recruit young Nigerians with monetary incentives .

Others like notorious bandit kingpin, Bello Turji go as far as displaying wads of cash they collect as ransom for kidnapped victims or announcing give aways.

In recent videos he has posted on TikTok, Turji has been seen brandishing weapons and calling out the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Gen. Chris Musa, challenging the military to come and get him.

Worried by the ugly trend, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters has now resolved to start tracking such social media accounts.

National Coordinator of yhf Counter-Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka, who revealed the plans, said the government was actively working to counter the trend by terrorists.

“Yes, we have noticed it and are taking actions against such trends,” Laka said while fielding question from journalists on whether the centre was aware of the increased usage of social media by terrorists.

Laka who however dismissed threats by terrorist groups as mere propaganda aimed at instilling fear in Nigerians, urged citizens to remain calm and disregard such statements.

“These threats are part of their propaganda to create fear among the population. Nigerians should disregard them,” he said, while describing terrorists in the country as cowards, challenging them to a direct combat with the security agents to prove themselves.

“If the terrorists are that bold and equipped, let them inform the security agencies where they are and invite them to a fight. But the truth is they are cowards,” he added.

Metro

Zambia: Farmers’ union warns of uncertain future for agriculture sector

Published

1 day ago

November 24, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Small-Scale Farmers Development Agency (SAFADA) of Zambia has warned of uncertainty on the future of the agricultural sector, stating that its outlook over the next 25 years remains uncertain and gloomy.

The Executive Director of SAFADA, Boyd Moobwe, who raised the concerns in a telephone interview with Zambia Monitor on Saturday, expressed regrets that the agric sector was facing critical challenges that could hinder its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and overall economic growth by 2030.

Moobwe admitted that the rapid changes in agriculture due to new technologies and innovations, has been slow amid the inconsistent implementation of these advancements which raises questions about the sector’s ability to survive amidst the growing threats of climate change, political instability, and economic difficulties.

The SAFADA Director pointed out that many of the problems plaguing agriculture were self-inflicted.

“The current measures for agricultural and rural financing are inadequate due to poor data analysis and utilisation,” Moobwe said.

Agriculture, he said, “had the potential to revive the economy if proper policies were introduced and if small-scale farmers were fully involved in planning and implementing agricultural projects.”