Patriotic Front candidate for the Lusaka mayoral election Miles Sampa says he has shelved his presidential ambitions and does not even want to discuss the topic.

And Sampa says no amount of bad publicity will prevent him from winning the Lusaka Mayoral race by a landslide.

In an interview, Wednesday, Sampa said the question of presidential ambitions should be forgotten because “there is nothing like that”.

Further, Sampa clarified that he never became broke after leaving government, adding that he started driving expensive cars at a tender age and he is enjoying the same luxurious life.

Sampa said in 2021, his President and the party would guide him on whether to contest for the Matero parliamentary seat or to stand as mayor again.

Below is a verbatim of the interview:

Sampa: You called me a short while [ago]?

Reporter: Yes, how are you Your Worship?

Sampa: I am fine thank you

Reporter: To begin with, I want to find out how the campaigns are going and how are things looking like on the ground?

Sampa: Campaigns are going on very well, I have the strong brand of the President, Edgar Lungu, a strong brand of the party, PF, and so the foundation is already there. And from that perspective, the campaigns are going very well. And I am not a stranger to the people of Lusaka, so we have a starting foundation.

Reporter: And then Honourable, from the time you were adopted, there are a number of questions that have been raised by people. Others are saying that you have come back [in PF] because of lack of employment.

Sampa: It’s just your editor who is being personal. Tell him to stop being personal and you misinterpreted that phrase I made in reference to the President as my elder brother. I meant he was looking out for me in terms of love. Everybody needs to be looked out for and that’s what I meant, so he used to check on me and find out how I was doing while other people were not checking on me. But at no time have I been bankrupt, never, okay? Before your editor even started working, me I was already driving expensive cars. Even while your editor was still at school, you should tell him, me I already had a house in Kabulonga, okay. Even now that I was out of politics I still live in the same house, still driving the same cars, still eat same meals, still go on holiday when I want to. So those who know me, they do know that I am perfectly fine. So you are just playing opposition politics. And if you look anywhere, there is not nobody that I owe, I still have a lot of assets, the same ones that I had before and during and after I left politics temporarily. So you are just speaking the language of the opposition. I am back in politics because I miss serving people. I was enjoying serving people when I was working in Matero. So when I didn’t have a platform to serve people, I missed that. And it’s a service, goes without saying. But what I said was that the President never abandoned me, I mean in terms of brotherly love, but you just simplifying it to more than that. That’s what I meant, so you should tell your editor that is what I meant. I am perfectly fine. You should tell him [that] when I was minister in PF, where I used to live and currently, everything is the same. Nothing changed in my life.

Reporter: Then Honourable, what happens to your presidential ambitions now?

Sampa: There is nothing like that, forget that question. There is nothing like that. I never told you that, did I ever tell you that? Quote me where I mentioned that. There is nothing like that. It’s a service, a service can be at councillor level, you can serve 10 people, you can serve 50 people, you can serve 100 people. Public service can be anywhere. I enjoyed serving people of Matero [and] it didn’t matter. Even as a councillor, if the opportunity was to serve those people as a councillor, I would have gone. Now the opportunity is for mayor, there is a vacancy, so I am happy to be back to serve people. That other topic, I am least interested, I don’t even want to discuss it, least you distort it. In 2021, my President and my party the PF will direct me what to do next either I run as mayor or I go back to Matero or elsewhere to another constituency. So that talk of president don’t bring me into that talk. If you want me to say I am not interested, yes I am not interested. I am just happy to serve people and this time, is to serve as mayor. So I am very content and comfortable.

Reporter: So on the Mayoral campaigns, is there any sort of pressure so far?

Sampa: No It’s all going well, where I am now we are with my campaign team strategizing. So we are working hard. We are not leaving any stones unturned. And no amount of propaganda like your paper is doing will deter us from winning with a land slide.

Reporter: There is no propaganda Honourable

Sampa: I have read your editor’s article which is personal and very ignorant about anything. You should tell him that I said that. You yourselves come from way back as a paper. So you misrepresented what I said. I said President was looking out for me not that I had no food at home, no. I have always had too much food for the last 30 years. So you are being petty. So I can’t wait to see a distorted headline tomorrow and if that happens, I will never respond to your calls.

Reporter: No Honourable, it’s not even that

Sampa: No because you are full of malice you see. You should tell your editor that.

Reporter: Okay thank you honorable

Sampa: Okay

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