Hundreds of UPND supporters in Kaoma district yesterday stormed their party’s constituency office in Mangango in protest against the purported adoption of former defence deputy minister Akakandelwa Mwedoi as the area’s opposition party parliamentary candidate.
The cadres who besieged the Mangango UPND constituency office accused the party’s National Management Committee (NMC) of not respecting the people’s will by adopting a candidate who was one of the tail-enders during the party’s primary elections.
UPND Mangango constituency chairperson Michael Mutobo said that party members in the area are aggrieved because they had made a decision during the primary elections to adopt Godwin Putu as their parliamentary candidate but their verdict has been ignored.
Mr Mutobo said constituency officials in the locality also made recommendations that Mr Putu be adopted as candidate on the UPND ticket and were therefore dismayed that their endorsement has been made to appear irrelevant by the NMC’s decision to adopt Mr Mwendoi.
He said that a UPND loss in Mangango should not be blamed on constituency officials as they had had done their part by recommending a popular candidate to contest the Mangango seat which the opposition party has never held before.
Mr Mutobo urged the UPND hierarchy to reverse their decision to adopt Mr Mwendoi as it will cost the party at both district and national level because the expectant frustration will result in several members switching sides.
He said that UPND structures in Mangango constituency are quickly being dismantled as a consequence of the alleged adoption of Mr Mwendoi, the former Mangango Member of Parliament, whom they said is a less favoured candidate.
Mr Mutobo said that in all fairness, the UPND should have alternatively picked on Naluwa Mwene or Allan Nkumbwa who came second and third respectively if they had negative issues to do with Mr Putu who was evidently the people’s preferred candidate.
And Peter Linka, who is also Headman Shimbali in chief Mutondo’s area, wondered why Mr Mwendoi was adopted as UPND parliamentary candidate in Mangango when he was not a popular candidate in the constituency.
Mr Linka said that people were not happy with the apparent adoption of Mr Mwendoi whom they have accused of being arrogant and unapproachable for him to serve as Mangango Member of Parliament.
But Kaoma UPND district coordinator Kenny Ndumba who addressed the incensed cadres who had gathered at the party’s constituency office called for calm as the purported adoption of Mr Mwendoi was not conclusive.
Mr Ndumba urged the enraged party fanatics to continue to rally behind UPND president Hakainde Hichilema and their preferred candidate.
These are things which never used to happen in UPND. Now that the causers of confusion have joined them, we are happy to see UPND breaking up, disintegrating, facing internal wrangles and confusion, intra party violence and protests.
Well done former PF MMD vultures for taking your dark cloud of confusion to Kaponya (HH). It’s good that the grass roots are promising to leave UPND. This is good news! Sonta po!
As a guide, UPND should adopt sitting MPs who crossed over. However, Mwendoi was not a sitting MP and neither was he a UPND member. His adoption seems to be a result of the parliamentary caucus inserting their friends into these seats for a free ride. HH risks losing votes carelessly. Every vote counts, especially in strongholds. Don’t waste the goodwill. Still
#ChagwaMustFall
#PFmustGo
That is Mangango, what do PF featuring there, lets see kaili? Sontenipo ba PFikala.
Mr Kudos, went do you work, you are always commenting on everything and anything, this is unproductive a common syndrome among PF cadres. Just good at shouting and insulting at any opportunity.
“… causers of confusion …” Is that Zambian English Mr Kudos?
I encourage you UPND faithfuls to leave Kaponya (HH) now that UPND has been invaded by strangers who are opportunistic prostitutes like Sylvia Masebo, Guy Scott, Miles and company. Sonta po!
You really hate hh. I don’t think it has to do with ideology but natural hatred. Did he wrong you as an individual?
@ Kudos
1mbecile, which party has been not just invaded but taken over by the [to quote late Sata (RIP)] “PLUNDERERS”???
Mr Kudos or better still skull, it is really not up to you to tell us what to do. You are an irritant with your Chagwa Chakolwa mobs Lungu. Concentrate on what ex-communicated father Frank bwalya is saying in the story just above this one.
Too bad ,but wet and see the outcome while i also wait to see if michael sata really made a good choice on Lungu ,pantu ba Sata loved miners alot ……twalatmona!!!
UPND accepting sour eggs is hurting them now.
@MR KUDOS
I disagree with you, this is a sign that the party is popular in the area. Just see how PF candidates and their cadres are also fighting on the Copperbelt over the adoption. When you stand on PF ticket in urban CB or Luapula, you are almost guaranteed free passage. Same for UPND in Southern and most parts of N/W and Western Provinces. So, it’s quite normal to have such skirmishes from the aggrieved candidates. It has nothing to do with a party being violent.
@Chosen one
I disagree further. The skirmishes are coming up because the top leadership is imposing candidates, thinking they know better as usual (HH) style. And fighting, protests, storming offices as usual is what Mapatizya UPND knows best. Truth of the matter is that (HH) will leave to regret the adoptions he’s made like Mulenga Sata, a losing candidate, Sibongile GBM and Charlotte Scott for Lusaka and Kasama. GBM as a Running mate is in itself a dividing blow for old UPND faithfuls. August 11 is worthy of being filmed in Hollywood
Then what’s your comment on PF cadres who’ve been rioting in Munali, Kankoyo, Chongwe, Kasenengwa etc?
UPND must be careful not to.allow the wanton overthrow of people’s choices. It’s dangerous and undemocratic.
HH, allow intra party democracy to thrive. For once, you can learn from so called Lungu skull head kudos.
Dictatorship stinks whether it’s you HH or Lungu or Mugabe…….
GBM is threatening to leave UPND if not chosen as running despite him not having G12
Kudos, be level headed on this issue if you are human. Complaints of this nature have not only beset UPND, they have also haunted the ruling party even more than their opposition counterparts. In fact, two of the disenchanted applicants in PF have so far left the party and gone independent. The problems are multifaceted, let the top officials in these parties sort out the issues and lay them to rest.
Some of these officials at lower level are corrupt!!!THEY RECEIVED MONEY FROM APPLICANTS AND ASSURED THEM THAT NO MATTER WHAT,WE SHALL MAKE YOU ADOPTED,SO BRAVO TO CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN LUSAKA FOR REJECTING SOME OF THE CHOICES FROM LOWER ORGANS!!!I will vote for PF on 11/08/2016.BUT I WANT TO TELL BOTH UPND OR PF SENIOR LEADERS TO BE CAREFUL WITH THEIR LOWER ORGANS AS MOST OF THEM ARE MAKING NOISE VIA MEDIA AFTER RECEIVING BRIBES FROM THOSE CORRUPT PARTY MEMBERS WHO WANT TO BE ADOPTED BY ALL MEANS!!!a wise and loyal member cannot cause confusion after being left out because a party can only adopt one person at a time!!!PATIENCE PAYS!!EDGAR LUNGU IS A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT TODAY DUE TO HIS PATIENCE!!PF LEFT HIM OUT IN CHAWAMA IN 2006,BUT WAITED.IN 2011 PF PICKED HIM AND HE…
LOOK UPND, THERE IS NOTHING LIKE NEW OR OLD IN POLITICS BUT WHO YOU ADOPT FOR ANY POSITION IS A MATTER OF STRATEGY.
I WAS SHOCKED TO NOTE THAT DR CANICIUS BANDA IS STILL HANGING ON TO THE ISSUE OF RUNNING MATE WHEN POLITICAL DYNAMICS HAVE SINCE CHANGED AND BY NOW THEY SHUD HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ADOPTING A WOMAN.
THERE IS NO ONE SPECIAL IN THE PARTY OR WHO RECEIVED GBM AND ALL THAT, BECAUSE EVEN CANICIUS WAS MMD AND ITS RECENT THAT HE JOINED UPND. SO BA UPND PLEASE BE CAREFUL.
REASON WHY PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING FOR POSITIONS IN UPND IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE CHANCES OF WINNING THE ELECTION HENCE (SELFISHNESS)
GUESS WHAT AS A BEMBA I AM GETTING FED UP WITH THIS UPND CONFUSION AND BEGGINING TO THINK TWICE ITS LIKE THEY WHAT TO REMAIN IN OPPOSITION.
GBM MAY NOT BE A DOCTOR BUT GUESS,…
CONTINUED…
GBM MAY NOT BE A DOCTOR BUT GUESS, WHAT UPND NEED TO WIN ELECTIONS IN ZAMBIA IS ONLY A BEMBA VOTE WHICH DOES NOT ONLY HAVE INFLUENCE IN LUAPULA, NORTHERN, MUCHINGA PROVINCES BUT ALSO C/B AND NOW LSK. PRETENDING NOT TO KNOW THIS TRUTH WILL NOT HELP UPND.
HH, YOU NEED TO MAKE A POLITICAL DECISION ON A RUNNING MATE. FORGET ABOUT WHO IS OLD IN THE PARTY AND WHO HAS SACRIFICED WHAT, THINK ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN MAKING YOU LOOSE ELECTIONS AND COME UP WITH A BETTER STRATEGY.
ALL IN ALL BEMBAS HAVE NOT BEEN VOTING FOR YOU AND THEY NOW SEEM TO BE STANDING WITH YOU. THE BALL IS IN YOUR HANDS.
Mr Iron your advice is timely and very important to us who want change. For the first time I have come across such a brilliant advice like this one. PLEASE ALL UPND Members lets embrace this advice. Thank you so much Mr Iron.
This is not the PF, we voted for without guy scot, GBM, SAMPA, Kabimba and many more attractive people .Bwezani has finishing PF. The man has a bad heart. PF will suffer defeat because of Mr Bwezani Banda. The old man is suppose to be a source of wisdom but he is now a source of confusions hence people are leaving PF. This is exactly what he did to MMD AND hence he conceded defeat.
Some political parties wanted to use the tribal tag in order to create a bad atmosphere between the bembas and the tongas. These two tribes have no basis to remain permanent enemies which their common enemy is capitalising on to achieve political ambitions. Lets show the people preaching tribalism that their tactics to divide and rule will not work on 11/08/2016.
It is a fact that UPND has had difficulties penetrating Bemba Territories of Northern, Muchinga, Luapula, Copperbelt Urban and Lusaka. The arrival in UPND’s top slots in the likes of GBM, Miles Sampa, Mulenga Sata and many others have no doubt tilted the tables and UPND looks like it finally is now getting somewhere. You can’t rule out the Bamba factor in Zambia’s politics. They are many and they have big numbers. Mwanawasa won the 2001 votes from these territories thanks to the Chiluba factor of that time. When he parted company with Chiluba, Levy nearly lost the 2006 elections to Michael Sata. What saved him was the incumbency. GBM is the natural choice of running mate to HH, save katwishi if he qualifies in terms of grade 12 or form 5 issues. If he does not, then settle on Miles…
Thats correct Mr Chileshe Katumpa.
UPND needs to show Zambians why they should be trusted to lead the country over PF. Actions speak louder than words.
LET THE BEST TAKE IT BUT SONTAPO WORKSComment:
UPND or any other party should not impose their preferred candidates on the people.
Don’t you thing that what is causing the adoptions to be tricky is the fact that the constitution was amended, cause there is no way you can adopted someone under the current constitution even if they have a large following, for as long as they don’t meet the qualifications. This is the time to taste how we vote as Zambians do we vote just for the sake of voting or we vote for Quality?
I WILL SAY IT AGAIN. OUR LOSS WILL BE ATTRIBUTED TO HH SELFISHNESS!
I will say it again. HH has cost us our clear victory by borrowing all the lunatics, last but not the least Pastor Nevers Mumba on his side. Please, you people, there is no one to advise HH or what? I have never seen such madness where the whole world is told Bemba’s are king makers and without them you can not win Look at all the UPND adverts for HH, so much bemba language. The man has abandoned his own people fearing victimization. This is a year of trouble.