President Edgar Lungu says anyone in PF is free to challenge him for the party presidency ahead of the 2021 general elections.
But the President has warned that those wishing to succeed him at the convention must no do so by causing confusion.
He said this on Tuesday evening when he addressed party members in Mongu, Western Province where he went on a tour of duty.
“So those who are power hungry and want to dislodge the boat, let’s throw them out of the party. I am getting messages that only those who worked with Mr Sata need to remain in the party. I am getting messages that only those who were with him in 2001 should remain in the party,” he said.
“For him, Mr Sata himself, from 2001 he was on a recruitment campaign until the time he died, he was recruiting new members. And I am doing just that.”
He said he was happy to remain in the party and work with new members if old members did not want to embrace newcomers.
“But someone says ‘no can you call for a press conference so that we can see the true green’. Green is the new members, if you want to be deep green, we will continue giving you chlorophyll until you become pure green,” President Lungu said.
“Because for someone to say ‘no uyu ni light green because anabwela mailo’, it doesn’t make sense to me because me as a politician I want everybody to be green. So those who are light green, we will give them chlorophyll until they become pure green members. So if someone comes and joins us and repents his sins and we welcome him, and someone says ‘Lungu has diluted the party with light greens’, I will work with light greens, let them be.”
He insisted that those who want to challenge him by destabilizing the party would be expelled.
“Those who feel they have got ideas of coming to contest against me at the conference, please you are welcome. But don’t rock the boat because if you do we will throw you out,” said President Lungu.
4 Responses
This a very strange statement from the president. How does he expect people to challenge him while muzzling them at the same time? How are they expected to campaign against him if they cannot say why they feel they are better than him? People should be allowed to rock the boat because that’s the only way democracy will prevail in the PF. Let the best man or woman win but allow them first to speak their minds, within reason of course.
People threw out MMD because of the likes of Dora. In the same vein, they will throw out PF for having brought these back, who have in turn taught PF how to loot. PF is a grass root party full of the uncouth and therefore could be understood for its thuggery behavior. However, PF did not know how to loot until the likes of Dora, Losambo came on board. It is not only some PF members who have a nostalgia for the Sata team, the public has and is crying and would love to see those garant people who withstood the Public Order Act and threw out MMD back in the boat. There is no way shit like Losambo, who was just a market youth chairman in MMD could today be insulting the likes of Kambwili and Kalaba, or lihule laeltuka ba Sata can today claim to undertand what PF promised to deliver to the people.
Dear Mr. President, do you still need to continue working? I feel you need to retire because you and PF are overworking yourself. Zambia has had enough of your output which should be appreciated after expiry of 10 year term in 2021
Really stupid statement from Lungu. How do you challenge for presidence without rocking the boat? The people to rock the boat are those endorsing you as sole candidate and not the aspiring presidentials. And why are you calling them power hungry? Are you also power hungry for showing interest in running for third term?