As political tensions continue to mount just before Zanzibar’s poll re-run, the Civic United Front (CUF) has stressed that they will not go to court to seek a judicial review on the legal interpretation of the political standoff, saying they have no faith in the system.
The party’s deputy general secretary, Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, told reporters here yesterday that there have been inconsistent statements made by the Zanzibar Chief Justice, Omar Othman Makungu, including that CUF had only 14 days to seek a judicial review on the nullification of the October 25 General Election.
He was reacting to a statement made by CJ Makungu that CUF has no power to file an election petition to the High Court because the electoral commission had already announced the election re-run date.
Mazrui stressed that the CJ’s statement had put Zanzibaris at a crossroad over the ability and freedom of the courts to handle cases hence give the citizenry their basic rights.He said the CJ has lost credibility and gone against the law practitioners’ ethics by agreeing to be used for the interest of a certain political party.
Mazrui went on to say that the CJ used technicalities meant to deny CUF and Zanzibaris a means of seeking their democratic rights in peace and harmony.
He said the 14 days quoted by CJ regarding the election petition before the High Court did not describe the meaning of a poll petition regarding the electoral laws Section 123.
According to him, the CJ was quoted as saying CUF had the chance to seek a petition at the court on legal interpretation as to why ZEC chairman Jecha Salim Jecha decided to nullify the election and instead chose to run to the media and the international community to claim that their victory was denied. He said that the CJ’s statement proved that he was used for the interest of the few to undermine the rights of the public.
“We have sat down and seen no importance of seeking for a judicial review concerning the nullified election due to the fact that the judiciary itself has proved to be biased,” he stressed.
Mazrui also stressed that; “We have no faith in the judiciary in Zanzibar as it is one of the networks that was used to impede the election. The courts have been turned into a place where they only work for the interests of a few. ”
He, however, said the statement revealed by the CJ has demonstrated how the Isles courts are not ready to work for the benefits of the Zanzibaris in providing citizens their rights.
On the party’s stand, Mazrui said that its candidates who contested in last year’s election would not seek a petition as they were already awarded certificates of recognition from the returning officers.
He added: “Why should we seek for an election petition when there is no single candidate from any political party who has gone to court to file any case regarding the election results?” Mazrui called on the CJ to apologise to Zanzibaris over his remarks which have cast the judiciary as a place for a select few.
Reacting on President John Pombe Magufuli’s statement when addressing the nation in Dar es Salaam through city elders, where he said he would remain silent on the Zanzibar issue, calling those who need legal intepretation to go to court, Mazrui stressed that CUF did not beg or force the President to work on the political impasse in Zanzibar. He explained that they asked him to fulfill the promise he made during his speech during the opening of the National Assembly in November, last year.
Before parliamentarians in Dodoma last year, President Magufuli pledged to see how best to resolve the political impasse in Zanzibar amicably.
The CUF deputy general secretary said he was puzzled by Magufuli’s statement, saying he will remain silent on the political impasse in Zanzibar.
“CUF asked him to stick to his words of helping Zanzibar to resolve the situation it was in; he seems to have betrayed his own words,” he said.
According to Mazrui, it is surprising that Magufuli is ready to send people to help resolve Burundi conflicts but disregard Zanzibar matters which are part of the Union.
He claimed that the President had betrayed Zanzibaris and had shown that the Union did not matter.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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