POLICE IN CHINGOLA DETAIN ENTIRE PF CAMPAIGN TEAM
ABOUT 20 members of the Patriotic Front (PF) campaign team for the Bupalo Ward by-election in Chingola have been detained by the police for alleged unlawful assembly at a house where they were selecting polling agents
But the PF has accused State House of influencing the strange arrests and detention of its members and sympathisers each time there was a by-election in the country.
Patriotic Front Copperbelt provincial media director Munalula Moola has confirmed the detention of the 20 members of the campaign team on allegations that they did not have a police permit to gather.
Mr Moola complained that it was unfortunate that the United Party for National Development (UPND) had resorted to unorthodox tactics of intimidation against the PF instead of telling voters what it was they were going to do after lamentably failing to meet the expectations of the people.
He said the governing party had failed to deal with the poverty and hunger in the country and was now using law enforcement agencies to intimidate the opposition in an attempt to win elections.
Mr Moola said it was absurd for the Zambia Police to detain PF campaign team for unlawful assembly when the meeting was in-house and meant to pick polling agents.
He said the police had allegedly aligned themselves to the UPND which was freely conducting its campaigns and were holding their inhouse meetings unhindered.
Mr Moola stated that the UPND officials were conducting the same in-house meetings in Dag Hammarskjöld Drive in Riverside.
Mr Moola said Nchanga Police rounded up about 20 PF campaign members despite being shown the electoral campaign calendar which had indicated that the team was in its designated area.
"I can confirm that 20 of our PF campaign team for the Bupalo ward by-election have been detained for unlawful assembly at a house where they were selecting polling agents. Now, this is nonsensical. How do you detain people for unlawful assembly at a house and besides, this is already campaign period for the same by-election?”
"Among those detained is the PF district chairman and senior party member, Rosemary Chipoya the mother to the PF candidate in Bupalo Ward," Mr Moola said.
But PF Information chief Raphael Nakacinda is alleging that State House is involved in the arrest of the PF members in a scheme meant to disfranchise the former ruling party from participating in the by-elections.
Mr Nakacinda said it was not strange that the police could arrest the entire PF campaign team who were working within their schedule that was provided by the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
He said it was not the first time that the police had gone after the PF members as they had done the same in Lusangazi and prevented their candidate from filing his nomination.
He said UPND dictatorial tendencies were becoming worse and that Zambians should brace themselves for heavy political handedness because the UPND was determined to exterminate the opposition.