LUSAKA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A former Zambian minister who has been expelled from the ruling party said on Monday that he will not sit idle but fight his expulsion in court.
On Saturday, the Central Committee, the highest organ of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) expelled Chishimba Kambwili, who was information and broadcasting minister for alleged indiscipline and causing divisions in the party.
But Kambwili said in a live interview on Muvi Television that he was going to challenge his expulsion in court because procedure was not followed.
The former minister said he was among the founder members of the party and would not like to see it divided, adding that those accusing him of causing divisions were lying.
"I am going to court to save the PF from collapsing because if we leave PF the way they want us to leave it, I am telling you the consequences will be too grave to contemplate. And in any case, when you know that people want to push you out, it is not a good idea to surrender, you have to fight to the bitter end," he said.
Kambwili, who was fired as minister last November, further revealed that he has tried to seek an audience with President Edgar Lungu to deal with the perceived divisions in the party but that this has failed.
The former minister has been accused of being among top members of the ruling party with presidential ambitions.
But the central committee of the ruling party has settled for Lungu as the preferred candidate for the 2021 general elections although this was subject for approval by a general conference to be held in 2020.
