PF Secretary General Davies Mwila says PF has a huge responsibility of ensuring that President Edgar Lungu retains State House in 2021, at all costs

Meanwhile, Kapoche PF member of parliament Charles Banda has urged the party members in the province to vote massively and not leave room for the opposition to amass votes as 2021 approaches.

Speaking when he addressed party officials in Chipata, Thursday, Mwila urged the party to ignore sentiments by Chief Mukuni that President Lungu has opted out of the 2021 race.

“As a party, we value your contribution to the party but I have always said that the President’s support should start from here because this is where he comes from and I am not trying to be tribal, I am just trying to be factual. The support, this is the constituency of the President, the support must start from here then it goes to Luapula, Muchinga, Northern, Copperbelt and Lusaka. So it is up to you colleagues to start or continue mobilizing the party, the strength of the party lies in the branches and the section. We made a decision as central committee to run with President Edgar Lungu as candidate for 2021. That is the decision that we have made and there is no change to that so what you are hearing from the social media, Chief Mukuni, let him mind his own business, let him talk about their candidate in UPND. So he must leave PF alone, we have already decided please Chief Mukuni, leave us alone! This is our party, you belong to UPND. So forget about what Mukuni said, let him just continue looking after his people in Kazungula. The job ahead of us is too big, we have to retain the President in State House at all costs,” Mwila said.

“So our job, as officials, let’s start taking our children before 2021 to get NRCs so that we prepare our children for them to come and register for 2021 election. This is very important, we have to register people above one million this time, we were around 778,000, and we have to be above one million. We have to be at par with Southern Province in terms of registration, in terms of voting so the job is with you. I don’t want when I go, I hear that all the officials have gone to sleep. Please, you have to start work now. Take your children as officials, the ward officials, the constituency officials and district officials.”

Meanwhile, Mwila has called on Ifranstructure Development Minister Vincent Mwale to work on the Chipata-Lundazi and Chipata-Chadiza roads saying they are “political roads”.

“And Minister, can you work on the Chipata-Lundazi road, can you work on Chipata-Chadiza road. Those are political roads, once you work on those roads Honorable Minister, we are done. So we still have time, let’s reorganize ourselves, we have the mandate from the people to lead this country and we have two more years to go. So minister, you are coming from this province, I am not trying to be tribal but you are a capable minister and you will do what I have just said. So as a party in government, we are geared to retain power at all costs because the people of Zambia have seen what we are doing,” said Mwila.

“But above all, we need discipline. For us to work effectively, mobilize the people, bring people together, we need discipline amongst ourselves. This is the province for the President and discipline must start from here. Let us reserve our energies to fight the UPND and I don’t mean to fight them physically. The projection for Electoral Commission of Zambia, they want to register 9 million voters, 2016 we were 6 million so they want to increase by 50 per cent. So going by the strongholds or the provinces that we have, we have to make sure that we get more than 6 million to ourselves. Let’s leave one million to UPND.”

And Banda said the party should work harder and not leave room for opposition to gain ground in the province.

“Eastern province, ndise bamene tiza winisa aPresident Edgar Chagwa Lungu mu 2021 (we are the ones who are going to make President Lungu win in 2021), everyone knows. Kuno, osati tikachite vingazi vamene tima chita kuti mu constituency (here this time around we shouldn’t play games that we always play whereby) you find President Lungu 7,000 votes Hakainde [Hichilema] 6,000 votes then there is nothing we would have done. Our colleagues in their areas give us 9 votes. Remember the by-election in Mazabuka ward? They got 9,900 and we got 3 votes. But if it was here, we were going to give the UPND councilor 1,000 plus and yet we are getting 3 votes. Akuti muzako akaku chenjelela po gona, mu chenjelele po uka, tiyeni tigalamuke (they say when your friend surpasses you when sleeping, surpass him when waking up, let us wake up from our slumber). So 2021 tifakeko nzelu (Let us work harder),” said Banda.