Kapata courts independent candidates

INDEPENDENT candidates should work closely with the Patriotic Front and not antagonise candidates who have been adopted by the ruling party to maximise votes for President Edgar Lungu, PF member of the central committee, Jean Kapata has said.

Ms. Kapata also uged PF members to work with well- meaning independent candidates.

She urged independent candidates to go flat out and campaign for President Lungu in the upcoming elections.

Recently, PF deputy national mobilisation chairman, Geoffrey Mwamba, said the party would work with candidates standing as independents as long as they supported President Lungu and the party in the August 12 general elections.

Ms Kapata said the PF had no choice but to work with the independent candidates to maximize votes for President Lungu because most of them were standing in PF strongholds.

“As we support them, the issue of demeaning the people who have been adopted by the party should not arise, let them campaign without antagonising the adopted candidates, let the best candidate win,” she said.

She said the party has decided to tread carefully so as not to divide the Presidential vote which was at stake with the increase in the number of party members who were standing as independent candidates.

“As long as they are campaigning for President

Lungu we have no problem with that because if you look at Eastern Province, three-quarters of the people that have stood as independents are those that are coming from PF and I think the Presidential vote is at stake and we need it,” she said.