Rachael Chileshe has rejoined the Patriotic Front saying there is no future in the opposition.

Chileshe left the PF to join Miles Sampa’s Democratic Front in 2016 and followed him into an alliance with NAREP’s Elias Chipimo and then 4th Revolution leader Eric Chanda dubbed the Orange Alliance.

When the Orange Alliance crumbled after Sampa’s failure to convince his colleagues to support UPND president Hakainde Hichilema, Chileshe followed Sampa to the UPND where she remained after Sampa decided to rejoin the ruling party.

Chileshe also fraternized with Roan PF member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili’s National Democratic Congress right after its formation.

But announcing her defection at her residence in Lusaka’s Olympia area, Wednesday, Chileshe asked for forgiveness from President Edgar Lungu and the PF family at large.

Chileshe also asked former senior PF members like Kambwili, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, and Harry Kalaba to rejoin the party and work for what they fought for.

“I want to tell the nation that those who are still doubting that I am still UPND today should know that I have gone back to my party PF. Why I have done this is because opposition has no future. I want to tell the nation and the youths at large that if you want to be in opposition for 100 years as a youth, follow the UPND because there is no mandate and there is no direction at all. The 11-member team of UPND will not make HH win the elections. There is an 11-member team there which controls the UPND. At the end of the day, HH has got no power to control that 11-member team,” Chileshe said.

“I went to UPND, I thought that it’s a party where I can find refuge. First of all, let me apologize to the people I stepped on their toes. I want to apologise to the President of this Republic. What I said to him was something which he can’t even seem to bear to look at me, but in our language we say ‘umwana kasembe taata, kalakukoma wabwela wakobeka’ (a child is like an axe, it will cut you but you will still carry it). The way you forgave Dora Siliya is the same way I am asking for forgiveness from you. Honourable Jean Kapata please forgive me, Honourable Mumbi Phiri as well. I want to apologise to the entire PF party, people became bitter when I left the party and I want to apologise to everyone to forgive me.”

Chileshe said that she went through tough times during her stay in the UPND.

“So I am urging all members of the PF to come back to the party, Mr Chishimba Kambwili, Mr GBM, Mr Harry Kalaba. I am telling you my brothers that there is nothing you will get from UPND. Don’t be used by these people who just want to elevate themselves and benefit their families. To be honest, you can’t compare the way President Edgar Lungu runs PF with the way HH runs UPND. I am telling you I have gone through hell from the time I joined UPND, there is nothing to show. The way they run their politics is just propaganda, it is just media. How can you run a party like that?” asked Chileshe.

“I am calling you come so that we support the party we fought for. PF has come here to stay. And to be honest, the biggest reason why I have stopped supporting UPND, When I was joining UPND, HH told me that he is an elder at church and I followed that. We sat two hours with him at his residence. He told me that’s why he puts on a jacket, because he is an elder, but to my surprise today, he has gone to as far as supporting somebody who has no morals. As an elder, he was suppose to advise our sister Charmaine Musonda that you should not stand because what happened was big. It’s not a small issue, there was a life which was lost.”