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Ongoing factional conflicts within the Patriotic Front (PF) have taken a legal turn, with Morgan Ng’ona petitioning the Constitutional Court to compel Parliament to declare the Matero parliamentary seat, held by Miles Sampa, vacant.
Ng’ona, who claims to be the PF Secretary General, argued that Sampa’s expulsion from the party in July 2024 required his parliamentary seat to be vacated in accordance with constitutional provisions.
In his petition, Ng’ona seeks a declaration that the Speaker’s failure to declare the seat vacant violates Article 72(1)(e) of the Constitution.
He has called for an order compelling the Speaker to immediately declare the seat vacant and notify the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) of the vacancy.
The PF Central Committee, in a meeting on July 3, 2024, at Mass View Lodge in Lusaka, resolved to expel Sampa from the party.
Ng’ona claims he notified the Speaker of the National Assembly about Sampa’s expulsion on July 3 and 4, 2024, and again on November 11, 2024.
Despite these multiple notifications, Ng’ona asserted that the Speaker had not acted to declare the Matero seat vacant.
He contended that the Speaker’s inaction violated Article 72(1)(e) of the Constitution, which stipulated that a parliamentary seat became vacant if the holder ceased to be a member of the party under whose ticket they were elected.
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