By JULIUS PHIRI –
THE Patriotic Front (PF) says it is disappointed with some traditional leaders who have decided to throw themselves into the political arena.
PF Member of Central Committee Charles Banda said yesterday that it was sad that some  traditional leaders wish to hold political parties to ransom as to who they should adopt as parliamentary and local government candidates.
Mr Banda said some of the traditional leaders were fronting their children and grandchildren for adoption as candidates in the forthcoming general elections and declaring that if such adoptions were not adhered to, they would direct their subjects to vote otherwise.
“This attitude being exhibited by some of our traditional leaders is extremely regrettable and a danger to the existence of our political parties and their role to forward credible candidates to compete in
the forthcoming coming elections,”he said.
Mr Banda who is PF national chairperson for mobilisation  said the PF was discouraging such kind of approach to politics and elections in the country.
He said all traditional leaders should support the existing rules that politics be left to politicians and their political parties, while traditional leaders should continue offering guidance to the nation on matters of culture, custom and tradition.
He said the PF would always support traditional leaders in their respective chiefdoms.
Meanwhile reports of corruption in the adoption process of candidates among some political parties have emerged in Eastern Province.
Caritas Chipata Governance Programmes Coordinator, John Mthaziko Zulu said in a statement that Caritas was saddened by reports suggesting daylight corruption taking place in the adoption process among competing aspirants.
He said information gathered by his organisation revealed high levels of corruption, which  marred primary elections at constituency and district levels.
Mr Zulu said some aspiring candidates had corrupted electoral colleges of some political parties in order to give them massive votes.
Mr Zulu criticised the illegal activities stating that corrupt people should not be allowed in Zambia’s governance system.
He also called upon law enforcement agencies to get interested in the adoption processes of candidates in all political parties and arrest all those involved in corrupt activities.