By Patson Chilemba
It is a missed call if ba Lungu is still thinking of holding on to the PF presidency in order to win back the Republican presidency, says Lusaka provincial PF chairlady Charity Banda.
And Banda charged that the people former president Edgar Lungu is listening to, like Raphael Nakachinda are “step children in PF.”
Banda also said despite her long service in the PF, Lungu had never done anything for her, such that she doesn’t even have “napakuteka amatako (she doesn’t have where she can rest her b***s).”
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Banda said it was a lie to say that the former ruling party did not have the money to hold a conference to elect a new president to replaced president Lungu, describing the move as a gimmick to delay the conference so as to frustrate people like Chishimba Kambwili.
She said even if the members were suffering, they could easily be asked to contribute K100s so that the party could hold a conference, plus the party also had well-wishers.
“Why should ba Lungu start behaving like this? Let him not start treating others the same way he was treated. This party belongs to all of us,” Banda said, adding that PF was all they had, such that even when people like DP leader Harry Kalaba and Kelvin Bwalya Fube left, she could not waste time to join them. “Those people left because of frustration yabo bene ba Lungu. If it’s okay I would even ask those people to join PF so that we make the party even stronger.”
Banda continued.
“Who tells him that people should not be talking about the PF presidency? Who told him that bukateka bwabo beka? Bukateka bwamuntu uli onse (who told him that the presidency belongs to him alone? Leadership belongs to all). It’s not fair…whether I am in the party structures or outside of it, those are my words,” Banda said. “Even when I was supporting him I wasn’t on the party structures, but we stood with him. We didn’t even fear (Dr Christine) Kaseba that she is Sata’s wife. Nomba bena chinshi chalabapanga sana ukuba (But what is making him arrogant) very arrogant, and start doing what he wants?”
Banda said it was only “a clique” of people who were speaking to him, and he was listening to.
“Whether it’s true that he wants to come back on the presidency, that’s a missed call ba Lungu. If that is what he is thinking, ine mwandi ninshi naumfwa uluse, because power chachine yalilowa. Nomba ifyofine yalowa efyo nabanabo balefwaya ukuyumfwa (I feel pity because power is sweet. But in the same manner it is sweet, so do the others want to test its sweetness),” Banda said. “He can’t feel he is above everything. Takwaba.”
Banda said she had information that Raphael Nakachinda, whom she described as a step-child in the PF as there was no record of him even resigning from MMD, is the one who suggested during the central committee meeting that it was not even necessary to hold the convention now.
She said even during the campaigns, Nakachinda was still campaigning as an MMD member, something that that party’s leader Dr Nevers Mumba even threatened to sue over, wondering how the same person could now be advancing deliberations in the PF.
“A step child is a step child. Abana bakwa wishi na nina, that’s all. This is what I know. Nakachinda to me is a step child to PF, so he shouldn’t be telling us what to do. He’s the one who brought up the issue of postponing, even making it clear that that’s what they agreed,” Banda charged. “Even at the house (for Lungu) abasangwako niba Nakachinda. Some of us, teti bafwaye nokutumfwa mukanwa (Nakachinda is among those regularly found at Lungu’s house. Some of us, he wouldn’t even want to hear about us). I don’t even mind, I don’t want to do wrong things in the name of buying love… and I wouldn’t want someone to love me pafilubo, better antemwa mufishinka. Chapwa.”
She said the central committee should not destroy the PF, saying some of them were not even strong enough and could easily join other parties.
Banda said even when Lungu “lost lamentably” in the 2021 elections, and even when he was booed at the inauguration of President Hakainde Hichilema, she still supported him, out of love for the party, despite him not even doing anything for her.
“Tapali nefyo nakwata. Pano napakwikalafye apakuteka amatako nshakwata. Nga teba Sata ukumpela plot, he’s the one who gave me a plot where I live. (I actually don’t have anything. I don’t even have where to place my b***s. Even where I stay the one who gave me the plot is late president Michael Sata). Ine even the UPND can’t follow me because I am not a thief. I have never stolen anything,” Banda said, and that she will not be told what to do by anybody. “But our friends are rich, and they are the same people who are surrounding ababene ba Lungu, and he’s busy listening to them. He can’t even come back to us who suffered for him… even the day he was booed I felt bad … the love I had for him is because of the love I have for PF, not because he’s just a Mr Lungu from Petauke”
Banda urged president Lungu to put the interests of the party first, saying the party structures and grassroots were important and their wishes should be considered over the convention.
She said people must be watchful over some of the actions which will be undertaken before the convention, saying among the committees targeted was the Lusaka Province committee, which is believed to be campaigning for Kambwili.
“They are saying twalitumpa. Twatumpa mumanonshi? Ebatulisha? Napano pene twikele nabeshiba ifyo tulelya (They are saying we are foolish, but how foolish I don’t know? Do they feed us? Even here where we are do they even know what we are eating)? That is very irresponsible,” Banda said, adding that just because presidents Sata and Lungu did not give her any position, meant little, as she was among the people holding the party.
Banda said when the party was losing elections due to the people surrounding president Lungu, and even now when arrests were being made over offences committed in 2015, in apparent reference to former Defence minister Davies Chama’s arrest over murder allegations, president Lungu was quiet “kwati menshi yakuloka (as if he has been socked from rain water)”
“We have told them if we work together as a team, everything will be easy, na HH apakwingilila takakwate. They just have to come to terms. It’s not even about the person I am supporting. The truth of the matter is we have to go ku convention,” said Banda, adding that she knew why they were delaying the matter. “Lungu knows. He wants to fix a lot of people. He will want to put people he will be ordering to ‘do this, do that’. We respect him and will continue respecting him …. na Mung’andu wemufyashi ngawamoneka kwati watampa ukufuma munshila yobe, nabana kuti bakusaluka. Efyo chaba (Even in a Home, If as a parent you start straying from the path, even the children will disrespect you).”
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