MWALITETA DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM ANTI-IMENDA PROTESTS
…as Mweetwa rubbishes discontentment claims in the party
IHAVE no hand in the crusade against UPND Secretary- General, Batuke Imenda spearheaded by some youths in Kanyama calling for his removal, Lusaka Province chairperson Obvious Mwaliteta has said.
And UPND spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has accused the Patriotic Front (PF) of propelling a narrative that there was discontentment in the party premising their argument in the loss of the Luangwa Council chairperson by-election.
Mr Mwaliteta said he understands that youths protested passing a vote of no confidence in Mr Imenda and proposing that he must take up the position of secretary general but he was not behind it.
“I respect their views but I have no hand in it,” he said.
He said UPND has an organised way of airing grievances and not via protests and only the president of the party has the mandate to appoint the secretary general.
On September 17, 2022 some UPND youths protested, demanding for the resignation of Mr Imenda because he was not performing his duty as secretary general effectively.
And Mr Mweetwa, who is also Southern Province minister said the PF were trying to create a narrative that UPND was losing popularity because of the loss in Luangwa but that was not the case.
He said Zambia was a democracy and as such the ruling party could not be winning everything because that could lead to having a one-party state.
Mr Mweetwa said the opposition must also be winning so that they could have stamina to be offering checks and balances.
“UPND is not diminishing but this is democracy at play,” he said.
He said UPND was intact behind President Hakainde Hichilema and his constitutional appointees.
Mr Mweetwa said the UPND does not support genuine members taking to social media to insult the leadership.