Malava UDA aspirants for the November by-election, Leonard Shimaka, David Ndakwa, Simon Kangwana and Ryan Injendi, with National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula at the Malava Disability Centre on September 12 /HILTON OTENYO UDA aspirants for the Malava parliamentary by-election have asked the party to ensure free, fair and credible party primaries on Saturday.
The party reverted to a nomination process after two-day talks between the aspirants to reach a consensus failed last Thursday.
Lawyer Leonard Shinaka, former principal Simon Kangwana, West Kabras MCA David Ndakwa and the late MP Malulu Injendi’s son, Ryan Injendi, will battle it out for the party’s ticket.
They expressed readiness for the exercise, but also raised their concerns.
Injendi said there were fears that Seth Panyako and Cleophas Malala could tamper with the process.
Panyako ran for the Malava parliamentary seat on a UDA ticket in 2022 and lost to the late Malulu. He was also the party's national vice chairman and oversaw the registration of the current Malava UDA membership, Injendi said.
Panyako is among the candidates vying for the seat in the upcoming primaries, under a DAP-K ticket.
Injendi also voiced his supporters’ reservations, saying they wanted to know whether former members of the defunct ANC party were carried over to UDA when the party dissolved.
Malala served as UDA secretary general, but has since moved to DCP as deputy party leader, which also provides him leverage to interfere with the exercise.
“All in all, I am the strongest candidate on the ground and I don’t see myself losing the nominations. If I lose, it will be the highest injustice, but I will not have any alternative but to work with whoever is declared winner,” Injendi said.
The candidates favoured the nomination process, saying it will ensure the will of the people of Malava prevails, as opposed to a consensus.
“Let the people decide. Whoever will win, we shake hands and move on for the unity of the party and the people of Malava,” Ndakwa said.
Malava UDA secretary Harrison Tanga said the party is ready for the primaries.
Tanga said the voting will be done biometrically across the constituency and that candidates have been trained on the exercise.
Parties had until yesterday to submit names of their aspirants for the by-election to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The electoral agency has set the official campaign period to run between October 8 and November 24, from 7am to 6 pm daily.
