Chipata High Court has dismissed petitions for losing UPND Chasefu Constituency Japhat Musimuko and Chipangali Constituency candidate Champion Tembo with costs.
Mr Musimuko was challenging the victory of PF Chasefu Member of Parliament Jerad Zimba while his counterpart Mr. Tembo was challenging the election of Chipangali Member of Parliament Vincent Mwale in the August 11, 2016 general elections.
Lusaka based Judge Mwamba Chanda sitting in Chipata High Court, who on Monday adjourned the matter to Tuesday to allow the petitioner to appear, dismissed the petition of Mr. Musimuko with costs for nonappearance and compliance of court orders.
When the petition came up for hearing today after it was adjourned yesterday, Judge Chanda said the court had nothing to prosecute on because the petitioner kept himself away from appearing in court without explanation.
And minister of local government Vincent Mwale has maintained the Chipangali seat as an MP after UPND losing candidate Champion Tembo who petitioned his victory failed to show up in Chipata High Court yesterday.
Lusaka Based Judge Betty Majula Mung’omba sitting as Chipata High Court judge in her ruling delivered around 17 hours yesterday, dismissed the petition of Mr. Tembo for noncompliance of security for costs amounting to 2,400 Kwacha and nonappearance in court for the commencement of the petition.
Judge Mung’omba made a ruling after defense lawyers, Jasper Mulongo of MSK advocates who represented Mr. Mwale as fist respondent and ECZ as second respondent applied that the matter be dismissed by the High Court because Mr. Tembo failed to comply with the court order to pay the security for costs and that his lawyer also failed to respond to preliminary issues raised in time by the defense.
Meanwhile reacting to the court ruling Chasefu Member of Parliament Jerad Zimba said he knew that his petition was a share waste of time and that it was not going anywhere.
He expressed happiness that the matter had come to an end as he felt inconvenienced by the petitioner because instead of being in Parliament to deliberate developmental issues, he was in Chipata to attend to the petition case against him.