By MILDRED KATONGO –
THE Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) on the Copperbelt is demanding that the party holds a national convention within 30 days.
FDD Copperbelt coordinator N’shingebuka Shamenda has written to the party chairperson Portipher Chuungu demanding that FDD should hold the national convention within 30 days.
Mr Shamenda said the party had never held a national convention since 2005 when Edith Nawakwi was elected the leader.
He said according to the party constitution, Ms Nawakwi had exhausted her terms as the party president.
Mr Shamenda said according to the party constitution, the presidential tenure had a maximum period of not more than two consecutive five year terms of office.
“I wish to demand through your office being the organising chairman of the party national convention, to convene the convention within 30 days, failure to hold the national convention within 30 days shall mean time lapse for the convention to be convened within this year,” he said.
Mr Shamenda said the party last held its party national convention 10 years ago and since then it had never held a regular convention or mid-term convention despite the two conventions being constitutional.
He said the convention in the party constitution was the supreme organ of the party which was supposed to evaluate the work of the national leadership.
Mr Shamenda said despite the constitution stipulating the provisions to hold conventions, nothing had been done in the last 10 years.
He said the party would be destroyed if members failed to define their aims and objectives to uphold constitutional governance principles.
“Failure to convene the convention in 10 years will be setting a dangerous and destabilising precedence to our party,” he said.
He urged the party chairperson not to allow the party to collapse due to greed, selfish and dubious decisions by those entrusted to run the affairs of the party.