Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) president Chishimba Kambwili has written to Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo appealing against the de-registration of the party. The NDC was de-registered last month following a High Court ruling of July 16 this year, in a matter where some members of the party took each other to court over ownership of the society.

The office of the Registrar of Societies invoked section 13 (2) (a) of the Societies Act Cap 19 and cancelled the registration certificate of NDC because it had an-inoperative constitution. The NDC ceased to exist on August 21, this year. Mr Kambwili said following wide consultations, the party decided to discontinue court actions against Government over the de-registration.

“Our legal team advised us that once an appeal is lodged with the minister, it [appeal] shall act as a stay of the decision of the registrar to de-register the society,” Mr Kambwili said. He said as long as the appeal pends, the affected society remains legal and can continue to exercise its rights and conduct activities.

“The law is very clear. I wish to inform all our members that this morning [yesterday], we lodged in the appeal with the Minister of Home Affairs. “Having done this, and in line with the law, I have outlined that the NDC continues in existence and can continue to carry out its activities until we hear otherwise from the minister,” he said.

Mr Kambwili briefed the media yesterday that he has since tasked the NDC secretary general Bridget Atanga to call for an urgent national governing committee tomorrow [today] to discuss various party matters. Mr Kambwili, a former minister in the Patriotic Front (PF), resigned and later formed his own political party, which was de-registered.

He is also former Roan Member of Parliament, a seat which Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini nullified after he confessed to heading a different political party, the NDC.