The Saboi Imboela led National Democratic Congress (NDC) faction is gutted that it has not been officially invited for the funeral of Fourth Republican President Rupiah Bwezani Banda.
The state funeral of late Mr. Banda at Lusaka was held in the Lusaka Showgrounds on Thursday afternoon ahead of Friday’s burial.
President of the Josephs Akafumba NDC faction George Sichula was seen at the state funeral in the Lusaka Showgrounds while Ms. Imboela was absent.
“I am already at venue for the state funeral as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) President to honour God for the time we spent with our late fourth Republican President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda,” Mr. Sichula posted on his facebook page with a picture of him at the state funeral.
Mr. Sichula’s NDC faction is in alliance with the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND).
But in a media statement, Ms. Imboela accused the UPND and its sympathisers like the NDC Akafumba faction of wanting to politicise everything including funerals.
In apparent reference to the Sichula group, Ms. Imboela said she is aware that some members of the UPND Alliance have been parading some cards where they have been invited to attend funeral proceedings purporting to be representing NDC.
She charged that there is only one NDC which she is leading.
“It has come to our attention that some members of the UPND Alliance have been parading some cards where they have been invited to attend funeral proceedings, as representing NDC. To begin with, it is so sad that the UPND and their stooges would want to politicise everything including funerals. The bitterness of president HH has continued in the ruling party as it was when he was an opposition leader and that is not good for our country. Members of the party are encouraged to mourn the 4th Republican President wherever they will be in whatever way they can. The NDC has been attending and will attend the funeral to mourn our 4th Republican President according to its terms without the usual UPND politics,” Ms. Imboela stated.
“It is so sad that the UPND is so clueless, bitter and petty. We are mourning the 4th Republican President and we shall not get into their politics. The late 4th Republican President, RB as a person, represented love, peace and unity. And I only shudder to think of the legacy that HH will leave behind with such bitterness and pettiness even at funerals. We only talk about these issues so that the nation knows that the picture that the UPND and President HH paint in public and what they do in private are two different things. This is a brutal regime that will stop at nothing but to undermine the opposition at every chance they get as also observed from the leaked audio. Not even funerals are spared for their politics,” she said.
Ms. Imboela said the other faction want to identify themselves as NDC because there is nothing for them in the UPND Alliance.
“It may interest the public to know that we had told these former NDC members that are now masquerading as NDC at the funeral, that UPND is not a party to trust and to form government with them without a clearly laid out plan and agreement will be detrimental for the party. So now they always want to identify themselves as NDC because there is nothing for them in the UPND. Imagine if all of us had fallen for the trick of destroying the NDC with the lies of being equal partners in the Alliance. There would be no NDC to come back to, as they are now ever pushing,” she said.
Ms. Imboela concluded:”So to put it more succinctly, NDC has not been invited to the state funeral and the people masquerading as such are UPND stooges. We shall mourn our father from our homes and will not even bother to follow on television as we cannot be part of a programme put together by a petty and clueless regime and its leadership.”
Last week, Ms. Imboela complained bitterly that her NDC faction was not invited for International Women’s Day celebrations in Lusaka.
BLAH BLAH BLAH
PETTY POLITICS
MOVE ON MAYBE IT’S YOUR GODS WISH ??
Indeed blah blah blah. Thank you Tikki
When CK loses his bid for the PF Presidency so will you simultaneously lose yours. Keep it warm for the brainless politician
I had so much respect for Saboi. I do not know who is advising her to take this route. My friend, its not too late. rebrand and offer constructive criticism. You may bounce back better.
Ugly b!tch, let’s wait if NDC will attend hers.
Personally I wouldn’t have to force myself on funeral if they don’t want me there. What is there to be gained by showing up at every funeral? Whether there are thousands or only ten attending, it still remains a funeral and doesn’t change the status of the deceased at the time of dying. Just like wanting for the funeral to pass church. If the deceased was a sinner, he will go as a sinner. Saboi find something useful.
Who is politicizing RB’s funeral ? It’s you ” b…..”
You cant even wait until the man is put to rest. Can you compared the handling of RB state funeral to KK`s ?? Where some people were forced to watch from TVs? Then you were quiete, but here you are provocking so that the talk of the day can be about you.
These useless politicians should give people a break from their nonsense! One shows ip at the funeral house without fanfare to offer condolences to the bereaved and not yearning to be noticed at every opportunity that avails no matter the occasion! Stupid politicians without brains for grand ideas! Spare HH and his administration from rubbish at least till the end of the term and then contribute to assessing the performance!