PF rubbishes UPND ‘fake’ defections

THE move by the United Party for National Development (UPND) to fake defections of our members from Mufulira’s Kankoyo constituency is a show of how desperate it has become in trying to remain relevant, the Patriotic Front (PF) has said.

Commenting on the recent claim by the UPND of a “bumper harvest from the PF ponds” in Mufulira after its members allegedly defected to its party, Mufulira district PF chairman Dominic John Mwale rubbished the allegations.

“We wish to categorically dispute in the strongest possible terms the report purporting that 200 people defected from the Patriotic Front to join the UPND. We have 26 branches in Lwansobe ward and 25 branches in Kangwa Nsuluka ward.

“After carrying out a head count, we have found out that not even a single member from our two wards and 51 branches from that has defected to UPND.

“We therefore challenge the UPND to publish the names of those people that they purport to have defected their positions in the structures and which structures they come from because we are aware that most of the people that attended their fake card renewal exercise,” Mr. Mwale said.

He said the so-called defectors went there with the UPND Copperbelt provincial chairperson Elisha Matambo in a convoy of 25 vehicles since they met and greeted them on the way between Luansobe and Butondo wards at 16:30.

“We are also aware that the former MP for Kankoyo Percy Chanda was one of the speakers at the said fake card renewal exercise. Mr Chanda failed to bring development to Kankoyo during his time as MP from 2006 to 2011.

“People of Kankoyo rejected him because of his incompetence and lack of principles expected of a leader. What then can he say or offer the people of Kankoyo that he failed to do when he was MP?” he asked.

“Mufulira is and will always remain the PF stronghold now and forever,” he said.