PF member Kelvin Kaunda says there is lack of transparency in the manner in which the party is handling the party presidency.

And Kaunda says the appointment of Given Lubinda and Nickson Chilangwa as PF vice president and secretary general, respectively, is illegal.

Commenting on the letter by acting Secretary to Cabinet Patrick Kangwa, who stated that former president Edgar Lungu had retired from active politics on 28th August, 2021 and that records that were held at Cabinet Office indicated that he was not in active politics and had resigned from the PF presidency, in an interview, Kaunda said what was presented to government was different from what was happening in the party.

“I think we are all concerned by the lack of transparency in the manner in which the party activities are being managed. It is very embarrassing to say the least that we have gotten to a level where we have exposed the sixth president in such a very embarrassing way as a party. It is very embarrassing because now it will be difficult for people to trust our sixth republican president who is our former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu. What has now come out is that the picture the party leadership presented to Cabinet or to government is totally different picture than their presenting to the party,” he said.

“So there is some high level inconsistency, one side they projected a picture that his excellency relinquished his position or resigned from his position, on the other side of the party we are told that he stepped aside but he is still the president of the party. So we don’t know which is which. So, I think the party leadership will do well to learn to be transparent, to communicate in a much more honest way for the benefit of all of us. So that all of us can [be] informed of activities accordingly.”

He said there was lack of leadership in the party which could lead to the party’s destruction.

“So with this kind of information, a lot of members will be lost, now they don’t know what to do, they don’t know what exactly is going on. If we are to continue on this trajectory as a party, there will be no PF in the next coming days. Totally, if leadership cannot be honest on small matters such as the president resignation, then that in itself demonstrates that there is totally absence of leadership in the party and with the absence of leadership in the party, we are not going anywhere,” Kaunda said.

And Kaunda said Lubinda, Chilangwa’s appointments were illegal.

“Now it brings in so many things, now what that does say is that all the appointments are illegal. The appointment of Given Lubinda is illegal, the appointment of secretary general is illegal, the appointment [Raphael] Nakacinda is illegal, the appointment of Tutwa Ngulube is illegal. All these things are illegal, because the person who was making these appointments left his position a long time ago. So you can see that lies have got incalculable consequences. That is the more reason why we need to challenge our leadership in our party to begin to act in all forms of human honestness, if the issue of rebranding and rebuilding the party is to be taken seriously. Because now even the rebuilding and the rebranding of the party we will begin to take it as a lie. Everything that they communicate will begin to treat it with a pinch of salt. So the issue of honestness is critical in leadership and they cannot afford to trivialise it,” said Kaunda.