PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu says the ruling party has no luxury of time to entertain division and bitter quarrels because the August general election is fast approaching.

Speaking during the opening of the Luapula Province party conference, President Lungu said the election victory was dependent on party members’ unity of purpose.

He said there was need to ensure that the “Sesa Formula” becomes contagious in all PF strongholds.

In a recent by-election in Mwansabombwe, UPND got zero votes while PF got 600 votes in Sesa Ward, hence the term “Sesa Formula”.

“We are all aware that our party is serious about renewing and re-energising its structures across the country, a feat which is non-negotiable. As we approach the general election, we have no luxury of time to entertain divisions and bitter quarrels in the party. I, therefore, appeal to all of us in the party across the nation and, particularly, party members in Luapula province to hold hands and take giant steps for a stronger and more vibrant Patriotic Front. Our victory on 12th August 2021 depends on our unity of purpose, discipline, hard work, sacrifice and love for one another – natutemwane! To those who will be elected to office during this conference, there is no honeymoon but hard work awaits you. We will look up to you to multiply the Sesa formula to every town in Luapula Province. We want the Sesa formula to become contagious in all Patriotic Front strongholds, starting from Luapula,” President Lungu said.

“The opposition party which is the main opposition party in this country brought us the Mapatizya formula and they are very proud of it. We have brought to us and to others who belong to the PF the Sesa formula and we are very proud of it. Let us go door to door, bring back those who had left the party, and show them love. Let us wholeheartedly embrace new members and allow them to enjoy the benefits of belonging to the Patriotic Front. That is democracy, and that is the hallmark of the Patriotic Front. I urge all of us to prepare ourselves adequately to go beyond the finishing line and continue to run with greater determination in our quest to realise a fully transformed Zambia without leaving anyone behind. As we endeavour to do that, we first need to fulfil our democratic duty of intra-party elections from the lowest organ of the party to the highest – an entrenched feature that sets us apart from our competitors. Let us do good and not harm.”

President Lungu said the party still had unfinished business.

“I am delighted to be here today on the occasion of the elective convention of the Patriotic Front in Luapula province. It gives me great pleasure to highlight how Luapula Province has been developing ever since the patriotic front formed government in 2011. Under the leadership of the PF government, the province is attracting investment and thereby, creating jobs for our people thanks to the policies we have put in place as the Patriotic Front and your hard work. The same can be said of the other nine provinces across our blessed nation. We have left no one behind!” President Lungu said.

“Our party has been in existence for 20 years, the last 10 of those, we have been in power and we have transformed the country through infrastructure development. We have come a long way, but we still have unfinished business. The next phase of our development agenda envisions a new Zambia propelled by a wide range of modern infrastructure that should propel economic growth through foreign and local investment. Having laid a firm foundation for national development in various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, health, education, livestock and fisheries, among others, the Patriotic Front remains the undisputed progressive force for development.”

President Lungu said under PF, Luapula was emerging as an economic giant.

“The Patriotic Front, being a large and popular party in our country remains dynamic in adapting to new challenges when implementing our grand vision for a better Zambia, guided by the will of the people. Therefore, after august 2021 our catchphrase as Patriotic Front party and government is ‘putting zambians first’. it is a call for patriotism to take the centre stage of all policy formulation and implementation. and for us to achieve this, we need a new mind set. We need people with renewed zeal to drive a new phase of development. As we look forward to the next phases of development for Luapula, and the rest of the country, I wish to make a clarion call for all of us to be united to give the Zambian people sound and selfless leadership. Your province is quickly emerging as an economic giant in Zambia. People of Luapula province; I have visited your province several times since I became president because I believe this province can be transformed,” said President Lungu.

“I commissioned the Mansa Sugar Factory in Chembe in July 2019; I launched the sunbird bioenergy Zambia cassava outgrower program in Kawambwa in January 2020; I commissioned the 48 marine kala barracks in Kawambwa in February, 2020 I commissioned the Musonda falls power station in Mwense in August, 2020, and I commissioned the construction works of a modern conference centre in Samfya in November, 2020, among other developments. and the recent developments concerning the construction of a bridge over the Luapula river between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Kasomeno-Mwenda toll road is an exciting development which will open up the province and bring in commercial activity in the province. Therefore, things are happening here in Luapula and this province is poised to become an economic giant if we work hard to bring in more investment. Luapula has good climate, good soils, and so much water and I am convinced that this province can do better in the near future.”