Police on the Copperbelt have cancelled a National Democratic Congress mobilisation meeting which was scheduled to take place in Chingola tomorrow.

Party spokesperson Eric Chanda confirmed this in a statement today, accusing provincial minister Bowman Lusambo of instructing police to withdraw the permit.

“As NDC, we are very disappointed that police, under instruction from the Copperbelt Provincial Minister ba Bowman Lusambo have cancelled the permit for the meeting which was schedule for Chingola on Sunday, 3rd December, 2017. We want to appeal to the police not to be intimidated by politicians but to work professionally, protect their jobs and their integrity. Politicians come and go but you as police officers have a job to preserve because the police service is there to stay. If a bootlicker like Bowman Lusambo come to you, you should be professional and tell such boot lickers that these people have met the requirements,” Chanda said.

“Defend your decision and not just to listen to him and you go ahead and cancel the permit. Ba [Kakoma] Kanganja, ba IG besu, for once, emulate IG Ephraim Mateyo. Be professional. Do not dent your name because of bootlickers like Bowman Lusambo.”

He said it was clear that President Edgar Lungu and the PF were scared of NDC political consultant Chishimba Kambwili.

“We want to remind police and even bootlickers like Bowman Lusambo that we are in a democratic dispensation and we need to exercise our rights. Just recently, comrade Edgar Lungu told the nation that NDC and the entire opposition are scared of him but if you look at the action of cancelling the NDC permit for Chingola, who is scared of who? I think the action is clearly an indication that the PF government is scared of NDC and honorable Chishimba Kambwili,” said Chanda who also announced the party had re-applied for a permit.

“As NDC, we have given you ba Kanganja and the entire police service a benefit of doubt and I want to inform the Zambian people that we have re-applied for the permit and the meeting is scheduled for Saturday, 9th December, 2017 in Chingola and the 10th December 2017 in Chililabombwe. We hope that the circumstances raised by the police would have been resolved and that the police will act professionally and accord honorable Dr Chishimba Kambwili and the NDC team enough chance to talk to the people of Chingola and the people of Chililabombwe.”