President Edgar Lungu says if the UPND wants, they can raise the winning threshold to 60 per cent plus one in 2021, and Zambians will still vote for him overwhelmingly.

And President Lungu says he will not lower himself to the level of Chishimba Kambwili by responding to his insults, so that people can see that the NDC leader has no “skopodonono” (brains).

In apparent reference the UPND, President Lungu said charged that the opposition party wanted violent elections so that they could push for a government of national unity.

“Please even you members of the clergy you should be praying because God answers. Don’t just get excited about dialogue but you should also be praying for us because if this country is destroyed, we are the ones to suffer. Those people have got nothing to lose because they have lost all the elections [which] they have contested and they think that through third party intervention, arising from violence, they can get a government of national unity through the back door, we will not allow that. We don’t want the government of national unity because we know that you get elected with a 50 percent plus vote,” President Lungu said when he addressed party officials and Ndola residents at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport, Tuesday.

“They were saying that ‘no the threshold is too low, we want 50 per cent plus’ [and] we gave then 50 percent plus in 2016, we got 50 per cent plus and we are in State House. If they want 60 per cent plus in 2021 they should bring it, we will still go through. But we will not allow them to use violence to intimidate us into bringing them into government. The will of the people will be respected through the ballot, that is what democracy means. So please people of the Copperbelt let’s show them that we are more mature than them.”

And President Lungu said he would not lower himself to Kambwili’s level by responding to his insults so that people could see that the NDC leader has no skopodonono.

“The other one I will come and talk about him later because he will grow big headed. He insult the President in the hope that when I respond to him, he will also become president. So I will not allow that. People cannot tell who is a fool when you are arguing. So what I have decided to do is I have kept quiet. Let them insult as much as they want but I will not respond because they are going to be beneficiaries. So if I also reduce myself to their level then they will feel good, if they get to my level they feel good. So I am more dignified than them, PF is a more dignified party [and] we will not respond to their insults, because if you get what they say the other day and what they say today, you tend to wonder if it was one person talking. There is no skopodonono, there is no sense, because you cannot say this and tomorrow you forget no, there has to be consistency,” President Lungu said in Bemba.

Meanwhile President Lungu said the Sesheke and Kafue violence was still haunting Zambians and further urged the PF provincial leadership to avoid importing cadres to the Roan to prevent violence.

“The shame of Sesheke is still haunting Zambians, the shame of Kafue is still haunting Zambians. And we know that Sesheke was and still is the stronghold of our friends the UPND so is Kafue. At least the Copperbelt is our strong hold [and] any reports of violence, I will hold the chairman for the province and the rest of you accountable because it’s your area to make sure that you don’t allow any kind of behaviour which propels violence. I thank you that up to date, no violence has been recorded so far in the Roan campaigns. That’s how it should be. The initiators of violence is Shesheke were the UPND themselves and in Kafue, but if we record any violence here, I will laugh at you PF. Our government is a government of respect, a government of talking to one another, our government is for showing the wisdom we have than power,” said President Lungu.

“So please I beg you to continue being peaceful. An idiot can come and mess up your breakfast. So It’s important that provincial chairman and your team avoid importing people and I will ensure that. SG don’t send people from Lusaka you understand? Lusaka people you will not come here. I will not sanction anyone to come from Lusaka to come and interfere with your operations during the campaigns, it is your campaign. And on this call I will come on the 9th and on the 10th to come and campaign with you. We will spend 48 hours together in Roan because we already know the strategy of our colleague which is to make sure that in 2021 there is violence all over. And when you pinch them just a bit they start saying ‘PF is violent.”