Luapula Province United Party for National Development (UPND) Chairperson Edwin Besa Chimbaka has confirmed four defections of its members to the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).

On Friday, PF Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri, Luapula Province PF chairman Nickson Chilangwa and other members of the Central Committee welcomed defectors at Henry Courtyard Hotel in Mansa and they declared that it was the entire UPND leadership that had defected in the province.

But in an interview, Chimbaka claimed that only four officials had defected after being paid.

“No, actually that is very untrue. That is the normal PF propaganda…since the 2015 Presidential elections we have had problems and difficulties in handling these guys; Lwendela Chinynta who was IPS for Luapula Province, then we have also a former teacher Mr Musonda who was Vice-Chairman and then we had a treasurer. These are the only people who were actually poached and paid to defect and they have been going round the Province in all districts to poach people to defect with but they drew a plank they literary failed,” said Chimbaka said.

“So the truth is that only four of them like I said were members of our provincial committee. You know our structure consists of 34 members of the provincial committee, now those four are the ones who have been corrupted to join PF to help them with their propaganda. It is not 70 as reported, that is a blue lie and that is propaganda by PF.”