Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Nelson Phiri has denied the UPND permission to hold a rally and a peaceful demonstration saying the security situation in the city is unstable.

And PF Lusaka Youth Chairman Kennedy Kamba says his party will not allow the UPND to go ahead with their rally whether or not they have a permit because they don’t recognize President Edgar Lungu as duly elected.

In his response to the UPND’s notification of intention to hold a rally in Kanyama, Phiri advised the party not to go ahead with their intentions.

“I acknowledge receipt of your notices of intentions to hold a rally on 2nd April, 2017 and to conduct a demonstration on 5th April, 2017. Due to the unstable security situation in the city, we advise you not to go ahead with your intentions,” Phiri said.

He advised the UPND to appeal to the Ministry of Home Affairs if they were dissatisfied with his response.
“You may appeal to the Minister as provided for in the law, if you are not satisfied with our advice,” said Phiri.

And Muvi TV yesterday ran a clip in which Kamba, who was addressing some PF youths, vowed that his party would not allow the UPND to go ahead with their rally because they did not recognize President Lungu.

“They have gone ahead to apply for a rally in Kanyama. Can we allow that? They are failing to recognize the President. As the party, in Lusaka Province where I am in charge of the youths, we are not going to allow the UPND to have the rally. So as the party, we are expecting the police not to give them a permit because when they give the UPND a permit to have a rally in Kanyama, then they are saying that the UPND are correct by saying that Edgar Lungu is not the President,” said Kamba.

“Whether they are a permit or they have a permit or they don’t have a permit, as long as they don’t recognize the President Edgar Lungu as the duly elected president of the Republic of Zambia, we are not going to allow them.”

On Friday, the UPND notified police that Hakainde Hichilema and Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba would hold a rally at Kanyama’s Twashuka Grounds on April 2.