UPND councillors ‘flood’ PF

MANY United Party for National Development (UPND) councillors want to ditch the opposition party to join the ruling Patriotic Front (PF), Vice President Inonge Wina has said.

Ms Wina said the PF secretariat had recently received massive applications from UPND councillors who intended to join the ruling party.

She, however, said PF had been hesitant to accept most applications from the opposition councillors to avoid the costs of by- elections.

She said this in Parliament yesterday when responding to a question by Kabompo Member of Parliament Ambrose Lufuma during her question time.

Mr Lufuma said the PF had been inducing by- elections to maximise its grip on power.

“This government is known for by-elections every two months through artificial defections of councillors. Just yesterday, your secretary general [Davies Mwila] after having induced and bought councillors from Kabompo and Mwinilunga, was receiving them.

“And yet Mr Speaker, the government is not doing its job in terms of development because it has no money. Why has your government specialised in councillor buying hence causing unnecessary by-elections in the face of austerity measures and unprecedented debt?” Mr Lufuma asked.

But Ms Wina wondered how much the UPND was “offering” the PF for its councillors.

Her response caused cheers in the House.

Ms Wina said it was not true that PF was buying UPND councillors to cause unnecessary by-elections.

And Ms Wina says the issue of by-elections would be brought to Parliament so that it can be dealt with once and for all.