Mzuzu-(MaraviPost)—One of the losers of the recent by elections in Karonga Central Constituency, Frank Tumpale Mwenefumbo, has stuck to his guns to return to court should the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) fail to explain to him, through his lawyer, Wesley Mwafulirwa, how it arrived at announcing Leonard Mwalwanda as the winner of the polls.
According to a letter that Counsel Mwafulirwa of Kawelo Lawyers wrote to MEC on Tuesday 17 November, 2020, Mwendefumbo is in the know that Honourable Mwalwanda was not a registered voter in the 2019 tripartite elections and so he did not even vote anywhere in the country. Therefore, his eligibility and victory in the polls were challengeable by law.
“We have received instructions from our client to seek further and better particulars from your office. Kindly furnish our office with evidence that Hon. Leonard Mwalwanda was in fact registered to vote at all anywhere in Malawi as of 2019. Kindly be advised that we have information that Hon. Leonard Mwalwanda did not vote in 2019. We further noted that in your letter dated 13th November, 2020 you did not give any particulars of where he was registered to vote,” reads the letter in part.
The letter has further demanded that the Commission should provide the said information by today at 4:30 PM; and failure to do so, Mwenefumbo will have no option but to proceed with legal action against the announced results for electoral disputes are supposed to be filed within very strict time frames.
Mwenefumbo is challenging the results of the November 10, 2020 by elections in Karonga Central Constituency, arguing that the said polls had some irregularities aside from Mwalwanda’s ineligibility.
This is the second time that Mwenefumbo is disputing the polls in court as in 2019 he also filed an electoral lawsuit against late Dr Cornelius Mwalwanda whom MEC announced as the winner of the then parliamentary polls.
He lost the case with costs.
