Alfred Ndhlovu Calls For Fresh Elections

Alfred Ndhlovu says he expected President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to tell the nation why he did not step down during his State of Nation Address (SONA) recently.

And Ndhlovu who is former Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication has urged Felix Mutati to allocate money for fresh elections following the failed referendum that was conducted alongside the General Elections.

Ndhlovu said in an interview that President Lungu’s statement was incomplete without mentioning the consequences of Zambians rejecting the Referendum on Bill of Rights on his Presidency.

He said Zambians could have expected the President to step aside the moment  the Referendum on Bill of Rights flopped, alas he still holds on to power.

He said being a main campaigner of a Referendum, the Zambian leader could have resigned on moral grounds because people had rejected him despite winning the election by a slender margin.

“President Lungu’s speech was empty. There was nothing in it. This goes to show that he is surrounded by people with no ideas,” said Ndhlovu who campaigned vigorously for President Lungu in the last elections, ” We expected the President to tell us on the consequences of Zambia failing to meet the required threshold to win a Referendum. We lost the Referendum because I voted for the PF. So our President could have vacated office the very day Essau Chuulu(Electoral Commission of Zambia Chairperson) announced that the Referendum had flopped.”

He said the problem in Zambia is that most leaders think in vernacular so they see no need of resigning on moral ground.

” David Cameron resigned, bringing an abrupt end to his six year premiership after the British Public made a momentous decision to reject his entreaties and turn their back  on  European Union. Our leaders see no reason to resign on moral ground when there is an issue because they think in vernacular. There is a reason why we should make sure that English language is spoken  widely by every learner because in this way people think in English,” the former Deputy Minister said.

And Ndhlovu said it was despotic on the part of President Lungu to hold the Referendum alongside the General Election.

” …And when we say that Lungu is a dictator, his agents tell us to prove our claims.  holding five  elections at once is dictatorship,” he said.

Ndhlovu said he tried to reason with Ngosa Simbyakula not to hold the Referendum alongside the General Elections but the former Justice Minister said that would be impossible because the country had no money.

“…but as a Government, if you fail to find money for citizens  then you resign to pave way for leaders with vibrant ideas,” Ndhlovu stressed.

And the former Deputy Minister expects nothing more than a budget that will put aside money for fresh elections that will usher in a Government that will set a date for a new Referendum.

“Mutati should look for money for fresh elections. And those elections should be held on a separate dates” Ndhlovu said.