UPND deputy secretary general Patrick Mucheleka has accused Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe of threatening police officers who saved the UPND officials from being lynched by PF cadres in Chilubi last week.

But Sikazwe says Mucheleka is a fool and cannot comment further on his allegations.

In an interview, Mucheleka said Sikazwe was accusing the police officers of being UPND.

“The election have completely been taken over by the police to an extent where they have moved, those officers that saved us from being killed in Matipa area, that contingent has been disbanded and they have been accused of being UPND. They have brought in new thugs. Freedom Sikazwe went and insulted all of them and threatened to dismiss them instantly and he was saying ‘why did you save those people? You should have allowed them to die. You should have allowed our youths to kill Mucheleka and Chele.’ I asked to speak to the police commissioner Richard Mweene, we don’t know where he is. You can even feel sorry for the police officers. Any police officer who tries to exhibit professionalism, then that officer will be in trouble. They want to work with police officers like Mweene who cannot do anything,” Mucheleka charged.

And Mucheleka accused ECZ of failing to manage elections in Chilubi, arguing that there would be chaos in the country in 2021 if the status quo remained the same.

“We have spoken to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) that if the police officers are giving PF cadres escorts, then who is threatening them, because we are the ones who are being threatened. Why can’t they also provide us with security? They are setting a very bad trend and if ECZ is allowed to continue in this manner, then you can be very assured that we have a disaster looming in 2021. There is no ECZ! This is just a parliamentary election and they are failing to manage because they have allowed Freedom Sikazwe, they have allowed Brian Mundubile to literally abuse everyone! This ECZ wants us to die because if they are really a credible institution, they should show responsibility as enshrined by the electoral process code of conduct,” said Mucheleka.

But in a separate interview, Sikazwe said he could not comment on a person who did not reason.

“Mucheleka is a fool! I don’t comment on people who don’t think, people who just wake up and start saying things that they cannot verify!” exclaimed Sikazwe.