Nominated member of parliament Raphael Nakacinda says as a mother of democracy, the Mutati led MMD will not participate in the antics of the opposition alliance, saying it is aimed at driving the UPND’s agenda.

And Nakacinda says President Lungu deserves to stand again in 2021 because his first term in office was less than three years.

Speaking when he featured on radio Mano in Kasama, Northern Province, Nakacinda who is MMD national secretary distanced the his faction from the united opposition alliance.

“I don’t want to demean them, but I think they all have a common goal around HH as a candidate and so on. It’s a political strategy of the UPND. They know that the mother of democracy (MMD) doesn’t play such kind of antics. We are serious about our discourse in terms of advancing the interest of the Zambian people. When there is a fundamental issue that is not political in nature, but national in nature, we participate. But if it is a political strategy of a political party, we wish them well. Let them use their strategy and see how far they can go. So, that is a political strategy of the UPND and they have a few individuals who gather around them to show that they have support. It is called ‘stage-managing’,” Nakacinda argued.

He said those wishing for a “free ride” to State House using other political parties, or people’s misfortunes, have got nothing to sell.

“…Because of the misfortune of another person, you want to be voted in because another person has been disqualified, I think [it] is undemocratic. Win an election because you have superior policies, superior ideals that the Zambian people are interested to support and vote for. That should be the thinking for any political player; we shouldn’t have a situation where you are wishing another person to die so that you then can have a free ride to go to State House. Then it means you have got nothing to sell! I think, as a principle, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, whether he is a candidate or not, should not be a preoccupation of political players if they have something to offer to the Zambian people,” Nakacinda explained.

He said those insisting that President Lungu is seeking to run for a third term are are only playing political gimmicks.

“If you remember in 2016, the UPND had a press briefing where they said that President Edgar Lungu did not qualify to get the benefits or to be built a house because he had only served for one year six months and because that was not considered as a full term. That was in 2016 because they (UPND) were hoping that they would win the elections. After elections, they again changed their position and said he wants to go for a third term. Yesterday, you said he hasn’t served a term, and today you are saying ‘third term.’ So, it’s about political gimmicks. These inconsistent positions are just meant for political convenience. I think when it comes to law, when it comes to fundamental issues in terms of our [Republican] Constitution, we must be consistent. The truth of the matter is that President Edgar Lungu never served three years,” argued Nakacinda.

“The law is not applied in retrospect. When you change the Constitution, the new Constitution applies the day it is enacted. They even sponsored someone to go on Television in South Africa to try and argue this matter; the guy just embarrassed Zambia by beginning to argue things that are a figment of somebody’s imagination. So, we can’t have that kind of arrangement. So, as far as we are concerned as MMD, it’s not about President Lungu being qualified or not, we will not base our future on the misfortune of another political party or another individual player. For us, it is about superiority of ideals, superiority of your policies and the quality of leadership that you are presenting to the Zambian people. That is where we anchor our hope and faith in terms of winning the confidence and trust of the Zambian people.”