• PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu addressing a mammoth rally in Chongwe yesterday to drum up support for the Patriotic Front (PF) ahead of the August 11 presidential and general elections.

By JAMES KUNDA –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has said the United Party for National Development (UPND) leadership is uncoordinated owing to the inconsistent messages it has been issuing in the ongoing campaigns ahead of the August 11 general elections.
The Head of State has since cautioned Zambians against voting for UPND presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema as his sole purpose is to get to State House to amass wealth at the expense of the electorate.
Mr Lungu said Mr Hichilema and his running mate Geoffrey Mwamba could not be trusted to lead the country owing to the uncoordinated statements that the duo had been issuing during campaigns.
“Balya babili niba makuluku (those two are crooks)! The other day GBM (Mr Mwamba) was saying that UPND will be buying maize from farmers at K50 if it forms government, then HH (Mr Hichilema) said, ‘no we will be buying the maize at K120’.
“They went to the same radio station and GBM said Lungu has amassed a lot of wealth for campaigns while HH was saying ‘Lungu is broke, that is why he is not campaigning’. So I urge you Zambians, don’t listen to those two, mwilabomfwila (you should not listen to them)!” he said.
Mr Lungu said this in Chongwe yesterday during a mammoth rally he addressed to drum up support for the Patriotic Front (PF) ahead of the August 11 presidential and general elections.
The Head of State was accompanied by First Lady Esther, State House staff, Cabinet ministers and senior party officials.
The President said he and his running mate, Vice-President Inonge Wina, were a well-oiled machine that always collaborated in managing the affairs of the country.
After August 11, if the PF is re-elected, Mr Lungu said, the status quo would remain.
The Head of State took a swipe at individuals who had defected from the PF to join UPND on the pretext that the ruling party had digressed from the vision of founding leader Michael Sata.
“Such people have no right to insult the intelligence of Zambians using Mr Sata’s name, may his soul rest in peace, because they were not there when we toiled with him to make PF what it is today,” President Lungu said.
Mr Lungu said the opposition should not resort to violence as perpetrating the scourge was far from what the Zambian people entertained.
He encouraged PF members to read the party manifesto and use it as a weapon to some critics insinuating that the ruling party’s leadership was visionless.
The President said the party’s vision was not bestowed upon him alone, but every member as no person could acquire and possess wisdom and knowledge all by themselves.
“No one can boast that I, I am intelligent, because knowledge is acquired by working together with and learning from others and that is why I always consult the people around me,” Mr Lungu said.
He also reaffirmed his desire to continue creating jobs and reducing poverty.
President Lungu chided Mr Hichilema for claiming that he would fix things when they were not broken.
“My party and I are already fixing what they are promising to fix. Even an automobile, you don’t fix one that is already running well, so don’t be cheated by some so-called wise guys that they will fix that, which is not broken,” he said.
The President urged the electorate to not only vote for him, but also Chongwe aspiring PF member of Parliament Japhen Mwakalombe, who returned from foreign service in Mozambique, aspirant council
chairperson Geoffrey Chuumbwe and the 19 candidates vying for local government positions on the party ticket.
At the same event, the First Lady urged the people to re-elect Mr Lungu and the PF for continued development.
Ms Lungu said the move would also enable her to continue with her charity work which is currently benefitting many vulnerable people in society.
Members of the PF Central Committee and leadership at various levels took turns urging the electorate to vote for Mr Lungu.
Other speakers at the event were Zambia Direct Democracy Movement (ZDDM) president Edwin Sakala on behalf of the coalition of 16 political parties rallying behind President Lungu, former UPND vice-president Richard Kapita and former Kabwe Central MMD MP Austin Chewe.