UPND suffers another setback
By NATION REPORTER
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) in North Western Province has continued suffering setbacks by losing councilors.
Barely a week after three UPND councilors resigned and joined the Patriotic Front (PF), another councilor from Nkenyauna ward, Alick Kikwama in Kasempa district has resigned.
Mr Kikwama was received yesterday by Foreign Affairs minister Joseph Malanji at a public rally held at Kyawama school grounds.
Announcing his resignation, Mr Kikwama said he wants to work with the ruling party because being in the opposition was not easy to deliver development to the people in his former ward.
He said during elections, he promised the electorate that he was going to deliver development but could not manage because of being in opposition.
"It is for this reason that today I ‘am announcing my resignation as UPND councilor for Nkenyauna ward," Mr Kikwama said.
And receiving the former UPND councilor, Mr Malanji said the continues resignation of councillors and defections of UPND members is clear indication that the ruling party is growing in the province.
Mr Malanji said this growth was as a result of the sound leadership of President Edgar Lungu adding that the president's good leadership has made the party become attractive to those in opposition.
He charged that the opposition UPND in the province was finished saying its leadership should not continue boasting that North Western Province was their stronghold.
"Apart from the sound leadership of President Edgar Lungu, the massive development the province has witnessed is another factor that is attracting new members to the party," he said.
He stated that President Lungu was committed to taking development to all parts of the country without segregation including in regions where he did not receive enough votes.
He urged the party leadership in the province to continue working hard by bringing more new members because politics was about numbers.
And North western province PF chairperson Jackson Kungo said the party will continue what he termed as harvesting from the UPND gardens.
He said his executive is committed to ensuring that it finishes the UPND in the province.
"I want by the time we will be reaching 2021, UPND should have no single councilor in this province," he said.