MMD expels 18 NEC members with immediate effect

The opposition MMD has with immediate effect expelled 18 members of its National Executive Committee (NEC) for gross misconduct.

Amongst these senior party leaders include Members of Parliament such as Kabinga Pande who is also party national chairperson, Situmbeko Musokotwane, Felix Mutati, Kenneth Chipungu, Kapembwa Simbao and Faustina Sinyangwe.

Other notable ones are Muhabi Lungu and Cheembe Nyangu who previously respectively held the positions of MMD National Secretary and Deputy National Secretary before their suspension.

Speaking this evening at a media briefing held in Lusaka party National Secretary Mwansa Mbulakulima disclosed that the decision to expel the 18 party members has been arrived at after a debate in a NEC meeting that was attended by more forty members on Saturday morning.

Mr. Mbulakulima has told journalist that the NEC was chaired by party President Nevers Mumba and that the gross miss conduct that has led to the said expulsion of the 18 party members relates their working against the party during the January 20th presidential election.

He says the same NEC meeting has also voted to ratify and elect him as the substantive MMD National Secretary to be deputized by Winnie Zaloumis.

Mr. Mbulakulima has further disclosed that the NEC meeting has also ratified the appointment of Elizabeth Chitika as the new party National Treasurer with Raphael Nakachinda becoming the new party spokesperson.

He says others who have been elected and whose election has been ratified are Bowman Lusambo who is now the new National Youth Secretary, while Christy Ntalasha is the new Chairperson for Art and Culture with Lengwe Bwalya being given the position of National Youth Treasurer.

The MMD national Secretary adds that the same NEC has also resolved to constitute a Disciplinary Committee to deal with specific cases of MMD leaders at various levels who were working against the party during the January 20th presidential election.

He notes that Disciplinary Committee which is to be chaired by NEC member Dr. Peter Machunga has members that include Emmanuel Chihili, Georgina Mutale, Lengwe Bwalya, Lisa Passi and Joyce Maliti.

And Mr. Mbulakulima has expressed his party’s readiness to participate in Parliamentary by-elections owing to the expulsion of some of its Members of Parliament that have been expelled on account of gross misconduct of working against their party in the just ended presidential election.

He has however explained that it is not the wish of his party’s leadership to subject the country to another costly venture of holding by-election following the said expulsion of some of its members of Parliament but that it was necessary for the party to expel the 18 party members.

Mr. Mbulakulima has also warned that the MMD might take drastic action against former President Rupiah Banda if he continues working against his own party in the manner he did during the presidential election which saw ruling PF emerging victorious.