UPND chairperson for elections Gary Nkombo says UPND members that are defecting to the PF are bitter because they have not been adopted.

Commenting on former Namwala UPND member of parliament Moono Lubezhi and Chilanga UPND aspirant Charmaine Musonda’s defections to the ruling Patriotic Front, Nkombo said the party was not moved because the majority of Zambians were firmly with them.

“It is a pity that in the midst of everyone’s cry for change, a handful of individuals portraying themselves to be influential have left as a result of what one would call ‘sour grapes’. If you take for instance the few people that left, it was as a result of adoption competition. The adoption competition was tailored in such a way that it had its own filtration process where all levels of party organs were involved. We took the loudest voice, that being the wards, those are in contact with an ordinary voter. So who are we not to have listened to the voice of the people who got out to campaign? And so you can see there are sour grapes in the picture of the so-called defections. But we are not moved because the greater majority of Zambians, the ordinary person who feels the pain of hunger, is firmly with us,” Nkombo said.

“I can assure you that all those defections are just sugar coating, the real voice of the people is going to radiate on August 12, 2021. I am sure you remember in 2010, 2011 there were all these stage managed defections. So you need to see beyond what the eye can catch. Knowing PF, the way I have over the years, the way they deal with councilors, they literally buy human beings so we can only leave that to speculation that PF are getting people for sale. You saw how some MPs were rewarded with vehicles and cash during the time of Bill 10. So the nightmare has not ended. You saw how in the last few days there was a revelation of how PF members have been enticing Hakainde’s relatives to talk ill about him, they come back and retract their statement because they only gave them K5,000 when they promised them more money. So it’s a business for PF, it is an enterprise. So where there is an enterprise, people are desperate, people are bound to make decisions that are not sustainable.”

And on the move by PF member Chishimba Kambwili to report him to the police for allegedly accusing him (Kambwili) of abducting opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema’s relatives, Nkombo said he would not apologise to Kambwili over the matter.

“I heard that Mr Kambwili had reported me to the police for the statement one Richness issued at my house when she came to volunteer information. I am ready for a showdown with Dr Chishimba. I am no push over. And it is surprising that a man of his calibre who served in parliament can actually start dreaming that I defamed him. The manner he heard the story is the manner I also heard it. Let him take me anywhere, even to the President. I realise that maybe he is used to being in the court areas, so let him bring it on. I will meet him at the court. I am more than ready. I don’t owe him an apology, he can actually go jump in the lake,” said Nkombo.