THE violent attack on Gary Nkombo at the Mazabuka Civic Centre is one of the most shameful scenes to have emerged from this nomination period. A group of UPND cadres, in full view of police officers, descended on him as he attempted to file his nomination papers as an independent candidate for Mazabuka Central. His shirt was ripped, his arm bruised, his spectacles broken, and even his wife was manhandled. Inside the nomination centre, ECZ officials could be heard calling for police intervention, as the attackers pushed through security and continued their assault. This was not politics but thuggery. It’s pure criminality and thuggery. It’s a direct assault on democracy. We must begin by commending President Hakainde Hichilema for the...