DPP suffers embarrassing defeat in National IDs case

By Chisomo Phiri

The High Court and Supreme Court registrar’s office has rejected the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s request for a summons in the National Identity Cards (IDs) case, stating that allowing the case to proceed would be an abuse of court processes.

The DPP argued that the mandatory use of National IDs for voter registration could infringe on the rights of eligible voters who lack ID cards due to national registration challenges.

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However,the court through Assistant Registrar Elijah Blackboard Dazilikwiza Pachalo Daniels has dismissed the application, stating that the DPP lacks the capacity to sue on the issues raised and that their actions are an abuse of court processes.

The court has further questioned whether the DPP has been denied its constitutional right to vote, asking if the party has been prevented from registering as a voter due to the lack of a National ID.

The court notes that the DPP has not provided answers to these questions in the originating process.

It seems like the court is calling out the DPP for not having a legitimate claim and for not providing enough evidence to support their arguments.

The tone of the court’s response seems to be one of frustration and skepticism towards the DPP’s motives.