By Merlyn Mwanza
PF aspiring candidates in Kaumbwe have gone back to contest the election on their party ticket after their applications were rejected to contest elections on the UPND ticket.
And well placed sources said PF members were allowed to apply for adoptions on the UPND ticket, the adoption process that has been described as somehow chaotic.
Well placed sources in the UPND in Eastern Province have told Daily Revelation that three PF members applied to stand as parliamentary candidates on the UPND, including Aaron Mwanza, who was due to stand on the PF ticket in August, 2021 but could not as the election in Kaumbwe were cancelled following the death of the UPND candidate.
“Aaron Mwanza himself who had applied, was adopted under PF but after the death of that other candidate from UPND he decided to apply to UPND. But now it’s like he was advised by the party that he will not be adopted by UPND hence he wrote reversing, withdrawing his application from UPND,” sources said.
The other PF members who applied alongside Mwanza to be considered on the UPND included Listed Tembo and someone named Wezzy. They contested alongside three original UPND members who include Anna Mwale, Esnart Sakala and Felix Ngoma.
Sources said even for the council chairman adoptions in Lusangazi, PF members who were left out on the adoptions in PF, and decided to contest as independents, have this time around applied to stand on the UPND ticket.
“Some notable names like in Lusangazi include Mr James Ngoyi or James Lungu. First he was council chairman in Petauke, but later on changed the district to contest as MP on PF ticket. He was not adopted and because of that he decided to contest as council chairman in the same district as an independent. So because of the death we could not go ahead. So now that ECZ has set the dates instead of him going on independent which he had opted he decided to apply in UPND as a candidate,” sources said. “But after being told he will not be adopted he went back to PF and attended interviews two days ago.”
The sources decried the manner primary elections were conducted in the UPND,
“The process UPND was following was not the right one because parliamentary candidates where subjected to interviews by a ward executive. But there are complaints in the manner the primary elections were conducted by the province. So the complaint from some candidates that instead of going through the UPND structures for interviews, and it was supposed to be done separately starting from the ward then constituency, district and then Province,” sources said. “But what happened is that when they organised the wards they also included a few members from the constituency to vote at that level. The wards and districts were also not given an opportunity to vote for their preferred candidates.”
Sources said Esnart Sakala is the one that has been recommended for adoption to the national management committee.
“And according to information she is the granddaughter to chieftainess Mwanjabantu. But it’s like people are not happy with her as they don’t want any name from the palace,” said the sources. “Chieftainess Mwanjabantu was supporting PF. In fact her son, Listed Tembo was former MP for Kaumbwe. After change of government I am told she has changed again and supporting UPND.”
