Eight Patriotic Front members in Mporokoso District in Northern Province have defected to newly formed National Democratic Congress (NDC) on grounds that the ruling party is divided.

The eight, led by Mporokoso Constituency Chairman Peter Chikonde stormed Mporokoso Radio station this morning to announce their defections.

Chikonde was accompanied by former Mporoko PF publicity secretary Stanslous Mulenga and Emmanuel Mulenga who was district secretary, among others.

Chikonde explained that they had decided to leave PF because it had become divided and that people no longer coordinated in their actions.

“I Peter Chikonde has resigned from my position and from the PF party and my reasons for resigning are that ever since the President took over the party there have been a lot of confusions in the Province because most of the people whom we voted against for working for the people have brought back and given positions and then we don’t even coordinate well. As Constituency Chairman, what I have observed is that each time there are programmes of going into wards, the district Chairman and his people don’t inform me, they just identify other people who are not even active and they go with them. And recently even our friend in a certain ward resigned as Chairman because people have been frustrating him. So us we have resigned and joined the NDC we have even submitted our letters to the party structures,” Chikonde said.

And in welcoming the defectors, NDC secretary general Mwenya Musenge assured the defectors that they had made the right decision by leaving PF.

He encouraged them to take up positions and help grow the party in the province.

“I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our colleagues from the PF in Mporokoso district who have decided and taken a wise decision to join the NDC. We have quite a huge number from the district, constituency and wards that have come to join the NDC. Indeed this is a sign to show that the National Democratic Congress has touched many hearts of our people in the country. There is no single area across the country where the NDC is not manifested. Meanwhile, as a political party our desire is to shift the way we are doing politics in the country into a new era of doing politics where our people will be free to play their politics, we want an environment where those who shall ascend to leadership will go to do nothing else but provide a service to their people. Therefore to our brothers and sisters who have joined the party from Mporokoso you are welcome and feel free and please take up positions and help to build the party,” said Musenge.