LAZ Members Demand Extraordinary Meeting Over Consultation Failures

Some Law Association of Zambia members have formally requested the association's Council to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting, signaling apparent division among legal practitioners.

The petitioners—Gary Davies Chibangula, Mungole Kwalela, and Eric Sakala—have raised two specific issues they want addressed at the EGM.

The first concerns LAZ's continued affiliation with the Oasis Forum, which they contend has openly engaged in partisan politics and advocated for regime change ahead of the 2026 general elections.

The second issue relates to how LAZ President Lungisani Zulu has handled matters concerning the Constitution Amendment process, particularly the issuance of public statements without broad consultation of the membership.

The petitioners' concerns about lack of consultation are shared by Choma Central lawmaker Cornelius Mweetwa, a fellow LAZ member and Chief Government Spokesperson.

Three days ago, Mr Mweetwa expressed concern that LAZ, unlike during the Bill 10 period, has failed to consult its members before issuing its position on Bill 7.

In their letter, the petitioners stated that the EGM will be convened pursuant to Section 8(3) of the Law Association of Zambia General Rules 1996.

The trio have further requested that the motions be debated and voted on by poll, in line with Section 8(16) of the same rules.

The development highlights growing internal debate within LAZ over its public positioning on constitutional matters.