By SYLVESTER MWALE –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has said Fred M’membe has continued to attack him and his Government using The Post newspaper because he has refused to have audience with him and his cartel at State House.
At the same occasion, former president Rupiah Banda said he did not regret supporting Mr Lungu in the January presidential election despite the insults he had suffered from the private newspaper.
Mr Lungu said when he addressed a crowd that welcomed him at Solwezi Airport yesterday that he would not give audience to people whose motive was to destroy the country.
He wondered how The Post had continued to question his relationship with Mr Banda when that was not the case when he and late President Michael Sata worked closely with first Republican president Kenneth Kaunda.
“These people have been trying to see me but I have refused, so they are bitter. But I must say that I will always work with former presidents; there’s nothing wrong that this man (Mr Banda) has done to be insulted.
. M’membe
“The only crime he has committed is to ask Fred M’membe to pay back the debt they obtained through Zambian Airways,” said Mr Lungu, who was joined at the airport by Mr Banda.
The President said Mr Banda had not been convicted of any crime and wondered why the The Post had continued to accuse the former head of State of being corrupt.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Banda said although he had suffered attacks from the private newspaper, he did not regret supporting Mr Lungu because the current President was the right man who had demonstrated humility in his leadership.
“I don’t regret supporting him because my support was on principle and I am proud that a son of humility was elected President of this country, and I ask everyone to support him because he was democratically elected by the people,” he said.
Mr Banda noted that democracy required that the winner was supported by all but wondered why some people had not accepted that Mr Lungu was the President.
He said it would be difficult to have peace in the country if some people were refusing to accept that Mr Lungu was the President who had been elected democratically.
