By Staff Reporter
You can’t substitute a candidate that is popular, says Andrew Tayengwa, the ruling UPND candidate in the cancelled Kabwata parliamentary by-election
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Tayengwa was asked if he did not fear being replaced as candidate in Kabwata following reports that other candidates have started positioning themselves to replace him as UPND candidate. Responding, Tayengwa said he had nothing to fear.
“Why should I have the fear? You see when you are popular you are popular. When you have the strength on the ground and you are a grassroots person there is no way somebody can come and think of doing that, because you see even my party they are aware that the propaganda being posted on social media by these opponents it will not work,” Tayengwa said. “They will stick to the candidate that is popular because you can’t substitute a candidate that is scoring and the candidate that has made the ground and is very strong.”
Asked on Charity Lumpa who is said to to be positioning for the candidature, Tayengwa said: “ But what you should understand those are just assertions and she doesn’t even live in the constituency. It’s quite tricky for the party to choose somebody who is not even on the ground. So we are a big party and we follow the rules of what the grassroots has said. So definitely the decision of the grassroots is what is going to be followed.”
On the election cancelation specifically, Tayengwa said the law had to be followed following the withdraw of the UPP candidate from the race.
“But in future I think we need to repeal such kind of law so that we do the correct thing if the person wants to withdraw. It’s better you surcharge all the expenses to such an individual. But otherwise with me I am cool, winning an election in Kabwata,” said Tayengwa. “If they called for elections next week or the next coming 22 days or so I will still scoop Kabwata seat because I have laid a foundation way back from 2011, and that’s the reason why you are seeing all these people wanting to shoot all kinds of missiles on Tayengwa because he’s a popular candidate.”
