NO PARTY WILL WIN ELECTIONS

Ms. Imboela says the opposition alliance was initially formed to avoid a possible rerun considering the strengths of both the ruling party and the opposition.

She said this when she featured on the Talking Point programme on Millennium Television. Ms. Imboela however believes the country still needed a formidable alliance to defeat the ruling Patriotic Front.

However, this has been scuttled with the Opposition Alliance falling in disarray as the NDC fell apart.

“Right now, I don’t see any political party attaining the 50+1 percent just in the first round okay? And this is the basis on which the alliance was formed to say let’s avoid a rerun. If we can mobilise ourselves and come together as the opposition, just in the first round we can kick out PF.”

And Ms. Imboela says the NDC never contested the presidency during negotiations on the future of the Opposition Alliance ahead of the August 2021 elections despite the post being one of the most contentious issues in most alliances.

She also disclosed that it was resolved that the NDC was to take up the vice presidency while the sharing of the constituencies was equally agreed upon.

Ms. Imboela maintains that the NDC only disagrees with its alliance partners on the name of the Alliance.

“As NDC we clearly indicated that we are not in a hurry to form government. We were ready to give the presidency to the UPND because it is currently the biggest opposition political party in the country and so deserved the presidency. We also agreed on the vice presidency and constituencies. The only challenge came on the name of the alliance.”

Meanwhile, Mr Malite has insisted that Mr Akafunba remains the party’s interim president while, Dr. Kambwili’s removal from the presidency stands.

Speaking at the same programme, Mr. Malite says there is no illegality in removing Dr. Kambwili from the position of president as he allegedly told party members to count him out if they wanted to continue with the UPND alliance.

“The current leadership of the NDC is intact and as usual, the interim president is Mr. Joseph Akafumba, we have a vice president who is Edward Mumbi and the rest remains as it is. The decision to remove Mr. Kambwili from the position of President was just to help him because he told us to count him out of the alliance,” he said.

He also insisted that no member in the interim leadership of the party has been suspended. The duo was however hosted separately as they refused to sit on the same panel for the TV programme.