PATRIOTIC Front deputy mobilisation chairperson Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, alias GBM, has refuted claims that he gave an assistant presiding officer pre-marked mayoral ballot papers to be fused into ballot boxes in Lusaka’s Matero area.
Mwamba has also denied being in Matero on the material day or meeting with any assistant presiding officer.
This is a matter in which losing UPND Lusaka mayoral aspirant Victor Nyasulu petitioned his loss, alleging that the Lusaka mayoral votes were tampered with in the just-ended election.
Nyasulu has cited the elected mayor, Chilando Chitangala and the Electoral Commission of Zambia as first and second respondents, respectively.
He further alleged that various incidences such as violence against his supporters, abductions and damage to property negatively affected his campaigns.
On Friday, an assistant presiding officer in the just ended elections, Phineas Kazongo, 36, a teacher by profession, told the Local Government Elections Tribunal that Mwamba gave him 3,000 pre-marked ballot papers, GEN 20 forms and an envelope of money to facilitate the action.
Kazongo testified that he refused to get the ballot papers and the money but was later insulted and threatened with a gun by Mwamba and a named Mukupa.
When the matter came up for defence, Monday, Mwamba, who was the third defence witness, denied being in the vicinity of Matero Community Hall or having a meeting with any presiding officer or his assistant and enticing him to fuse pre-marked ballot papers in favour of Chitangala.
Mwamba explained that during the stated time on August 11, this year, his motor vehicle alleged to have been used to meet Kazongo was at Alliance Motors garage being repaired while he was in Kasama, Northern Province, in readiness for voting on August 12.
“My honourable, I am not infallible like the son of God who can be in two places at a particular time. I can’t be in Kasama and Lusaka at the same time. Phineas just wanted to spoil my reputation on a political level. I ask this Tribunal to deal with such kind of people and not to do such kind of things because some people, especially through the media, will believe that I enticed him. So I want justice to prevail so that would-be offenders would learn a lesson from him,” he said.
Mwamba said he wanted justice to prevail and the truth be known regarding what happened on the material day.
And in cross examination, Mwamba denied knowing Lee Mukupa who is alleged to have been sent by him to call Kazongo from the polling centre.
He further told the tribunal that he was hurt by the story published in various media as the allegations were fake and covered in lies.
By press time, Mwamba was still being cross examined by the counsel for the petitioners.
And testifying earlier, Lee Mukupa, who is PF Matero constituency chairperson, denied being part of any ploy to stuff pre-marked ballot papers, stating that during the alleged time on the material day, he was at a meeting at a member of parliament’s residence.
He also denied knowing or ever meeting Kazongo.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia was on Tuesday expected to bring four witnesses to also testify in the matter.
