President Edgar Lungu apologised, Sunday, to the people of Katangashi ward in Bahati constituency for having appointed now Democratic Party president Harry Kalaba as minister of Home Affairs, adding that he could not have appointed him had he known his character.

President Lungu told people at a campaign rally that Kalaba was boastful when he was minster hence he failed to deliver development in the area.

Meanwhile, Minister of Gender and Kanyama PF MP, Elizabeth Phiri, told the crowd that Easterners and people in Bahati are like twins hence they should not give an opportunity to someone else.

And speaking earlier on Saturday when he met PF officials and Civil servants in Mwense District, President Lungu urged Party officials to be going round offices of civil servants to ask them on the progress of developmental projects.

“Ulya muntu ngacakweba ati alebomba nabanankwe, ama ministers abafuma kuno nga alebeba ati ‘awe boi mpelakofye isukulu nangu fye limo’ ngabalimupele, ‘boi mpelakofye icipatala nangu fye cimo’ ngabalimupele. Nomba ena alifye caibela…’no me, ah…I am ok’. Nomba because of ukuyumfwa, abantu baculilamo. ifintu ifi kuicefya. Nomba naisa mukupapata, naisa mukulombo bwelelo, nine nalufyenye pakusala Kalaba nokumupela bu minister. Anjishiba nganamulekelefye. Alenjeba ati ‘everything is ok in Bahati’ kanshi bufi, nomba fyaisasokoloka. Lesa naena afibika pabwelu, umwine eka acita resign naifwe twamona ati ‘owee, kanshi efyo balefisa ifi.’ (If he was working in collaboration with other ministers from here and asked them to give him even one school or one hospital for his place, they could have given him. But he was a loner. Because of his bragging, people are suffering, these things you have to be humble. But I am here to plead with you; I am asking for forgiveness, I am the one who made a mistake by appointing Kalaba as minister. If I knew I could have just let him be. He always used to tell me that everything was fine in Bahati, but he was lying and now everything has come on the open. God has put everything on the open, he resigned on his own and now we have seen what he was hiding),” said President Lungu.

Meanwhile, Phiri told the crowd that Easterners and people in Bahati were like twins hence they should not give an opportunity to someone else to rule.

“Edgar Lungu just contested the presidency once and he won, but someone has been contesting and losing for 5 times, can you give such a person an opportunity? “Kumyabo tabatupela chance ifwe ba PF, ngatwatwala ubuyantanshi bena ukuvota balevotela umuntu wabo. Lekeni mwebe, imwe kuno ku Bahati naifwe kukabanga tuli bampundu, tuli bantu bamo bene. That is the reason why ‘ise bantu baku eastern province naimwe timaona monga ndise bampundu obadwa mimba imodzi; that’s why I am seeing beautiful women and handsome men because we are one people. Ise ndise babwino monga imwe, and bamano kwati imwe. That’s why I am encouraging you that on Thursday, give an opportunity for continuity. Don’t give chance to anybody else,” Phiri said.

And Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe warned people not to vote for the UPND as the opposition party would think that they have penetrated the area.

“Luapula is the stronghold of PF, even our friends have their own region which they call their stronghold. We are saying don’t let those people get even 50 votes; they will start thinking that they have penetrated here. For you to show them that they have not penetrated here, they are just wasting time, you should vote for Chalwe. Their battle that is here is not about the MP, for them they think that if you vote for UPND, then you would have changed the republican president. I plead with you, let’s embarrass them the way they do in their region,” said Sikazwe.

And earlier on Saturday President Lungu urged PF officials in Mwense District to be going round offices of civil servants to ask them on the progress of developmental projects.

“I want to thank you PF members and Civil servants for welcoming me very well here, I also want to thank you for voting for me in 2016. But to succeed in working for the people of Mwense, we need cooperation between the party and the civil service. I therefore urge you to continue working together because that’s the only way we can deliver to our people. And as we go towards elections, because election mood kwati yalitwikata kale, mwalimona? (It seems the election mood is already here, have you noticed that?) It seems we have not left the campaign mood from 2016 up to now, you get a feeling that people are still campaigning. But let me urge you as we go towards 2021 that it is important that you continue collaborating. The custodian of the vision of the people of Zambia is the party, because they are the ones who win and encourage the people to vote for us. The civil service is the machinery that only works by being pushed, I am urging the party officials to corporate with the civil service by visiting their offices and ask them how far they have gone with certain projects,” said Lungu.