Kamba rubbishes NDC voting buying claims
IT IS total wrong for the opposition to ground service provision to the people on Chilubi Island because of a by-election by making unfounded claims of vote- buying, the Patriotic Front (PF) has said.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) last week reported Patriotic Front (PF) campaign manager in the Chilubi by-election, Chitalu Chilufya, to the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) for alleged corruption.
NDC vice president Joseph Akafumba early this week reported Dr. Chilufya to the commission where he delivered a complaint letter in which the party alleged that Dr. Chilufya was involved in acts tantamount to vote- buying in Chilubi ahead of the by-election.
Mr. Akafumba claimed Dr. Chilufya had allegedly been distributing mealie meal, dishing out money to potential voters, and donated three ambulances to Chilubi.
He said the intention of choosing Chilubi as a place to carry out these activities in the wake of a by-election was to attempt to corrupt the minds of the people and implored the commission to thoroughly investigate Dr. Chilufya.
But speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, Lusaka Province PF secretary Kennedy Kamba said the ruling party was boggled by move by the NDC’s claims of vote-buying even over issue which did not make sense.
Mr. Kamba wondered whether the opposition wanted Government to suspend service provision to Chilubi Island just because of a by- election and called for civility in the manner the opposition conducted themselves as such sentiments could be a recipe for violence.
“Does the NDC want Government to suspend service delivery to Chilubi so that people can suffer until after the elections? What sin have the people of Chilubi committed that if they are given three ambulances now, it should amount to vote- buying?
“Dr. Chilufya, despite being our campaign manager there, is still the Minister of Health who is supposed to ensure that all Zambians have access to health services and Chilubi is not an exception. Government does not have money to provide ambulances to all parts of the country at the same time,” Mr. Kamba said.
He said there was no political party which was not spending money for the smooth running of its campaigns in Chilubi and wondered why it must be an issue if the PF gave money to its structures for mobilisation.