By Patson Chilemba
Economic Front (EF) leader Wynter Kabimba says the vacuum former president Edgar Lungu created for Miles Sampa will cost him politically.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Kabimba said it did not surprise him that Lungu announced his return to active politics, saying all the Zambian people
knew that that was exactly what Lungu wanted to do.
“In fact he has even done it late in the day. Because what has happened now is … if he had done it earlier he would have been proactive, now he is being reactive after his enemies have set up a trap against him,” Kabimba said. “He should have done this much, much earlier than now, and he would have been in a much stronger position in my view if he had done it much earlier than now.”
He said he would not describe it as a “scheme” moves by the PF which has been dilly-dallying on holding the convention for Lungu’s sake, but said everybody suspected that the convention was being delayed to afford him an opportunity to make up his mind to get back into active politics.
Kabimba said PF faction leader Miles Sampa took advantage of the vacuum that existed in the PF.
“There was a clear, clear vacuum that existed in the party and Miles took advantage of that vacuum, wrongly or rightly,” Kabimba said.
Asked if he thought it would be easy for Lungu and his colleagues to fight off the matter seeing how state institutions usually effect the wishes of those in power, who are said to be determined to kill off the PF, Kabimba said that was why he said that Lungu would have been in a stronger position if he had done this much earlier, without the emergence of the Sampa faction.
“That failure to do so in my view will cost him politically. It will cost him politically because it is clear, if you followed my interview on Millennium TV, I made it clear that I didn’t think that Miles was doing this alone,” Kabimba said. “The UPND and the state were behind Miles’ activities. I made it very clear. I analysed it in detail.”
Kabimba said the PF will take the exact route that the MMD Nevers Mumba-Felix Mutati took, saying for as long as the matter is in court they will be referred to even from the media as PF1 and PF2, and just that in itself weakens the original PF.
Kabimba said the invitation from Lungu for the opposition to join hands in the fight for democracy was not about hearing the matter and commenting as it needed reflection
“I support the idea that he has made the pronouncement to come back because that was expected for a long time. But I am putting a caveat that he would have been in a much stronger position if he had done it earlier,” said Kabimba. “Part two, may be hypothetical. I can’t conclude and say his invitation to us makes it difficult for us to work with PF because he should have done this earlier or he would have been stronger if he had done it earlier. That is a different matter altogether.”
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