Patriotic Front members in Kitwe have complained that the party is currently experiencing a lot of divisions among political leaders.
In an interview yesterday PF losing ward secretary Michael Mulenga said that the PF in Kitwe has been divided into two camps, one for Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Malanji who is also PF member of parliament for Kwacha and another camp for Christopher Kang’ombe who is PF Kitwe District Chairman.
He said Malanji was refusing to work with some PF members accusing them of being Kang’ombes followers.
Mulenga said PF members were calling for the nullification of the intra-party election results in Kwacha constituency on grounds that they were not free and fair.
He added that the aggrieved members had written to President Edgar Lungu and party Secretary General Davies Mwila, but that they had not received any feed back.
“We were told by the PF leadership that we were free to contest any position in these elections, but when we formed a group for all those who wanted to stand, we were accused of being rebels. Were accused of going against the party and that we were having secret meetings,” Mulenga complained.
“We have written a letter to the SG and the President demanding that the elections are nullified because the returning officer and the councillor who were chairing the elections were found in the same meeting were petitioned were being heard. And during elections Malaji had dished out some money in his constituency even when leaders where warned not to be found taking part in the elections.”
But Copperbelt Provincial PF chairman Stephen Kainga said there was no division in the party.
He said it was normal for people to form groupings during elections and incline themselves to a particular candidate, and that did not mean the party was divided.
“We did all the sittings and every thing has been communicated to the District through the constituency, so as we speak there is no petition that is still pending because if there were still issues we wouldn’t have started the constituency elections in Chingola and Chililabombwe districts,” said Kainga.