PF campaign manager in the Kafue Council chairperson by-election Given Lubinda has dismissed claims by UPND campaign manager Obvious Mwaliteta that the ruling party is collecting voters’ cards in exchange for mealie meal.

Reacting to Mwaliteta’s accusations in an interview, Tuesday, Lubinda dismissed the claims, saying the PF remained focused on running a clean campaign.

Lubinda, who is also Justice Minister, argued that Kafue residents were angry with the UPND for having forced former council chairperson Thomas Zulu to resign, thereby causing a by-election.

“I am managing that election, and I have not released any money for such activities. It is not true, there is no such a thing happening in Kafue. As PF, we are focused on running a clean campaign that is violence-free and we have no time to engage in such activities,” Lubinda said.

“The campaigns are going on smoothly, our members in Kafue are carrying on with the campaigns in a very peaceful way; they are going round telling people our message; what government is doing and what we shall continue doing for them in Kafue. And that will continue until the voting day.”

He urged voters to vote for the PF candidate as a way of expressing their anger towards the UPND for having triggered the by-election in the first place.

“If there has been a time PF has made headways in Kafue, it is now! People are seeing what we are doing and they are ready to vote for our candidate. And people in Kafue are not happy with how the former council chairperson was forced to resign by his political party, and they are saying they are going to show their anger in the voting booth. This unnecessary by-election was caused by that forced resignation and no one should think that people were happy with that,” said Lubinda.

“As PF, we are very confident that we will carry the day. I have not heard those sentiments from anyone that people have rejected my candidate because he is a military officer, those are your sources, we have a good candidate and we know people will give him a mandate to represent them come 27th of March.”

The Kafue Council Chairperson by-election was triggered by Zulu’s resignation as Council Chairperson, who ditched the UPND for the ruling party in November last year.