Daily Nation Newspaper

NO SCHEME BY ANYONE WILL PREVENT ME FROM STANDING AS PF PRESIDENT. I QUALIFY 100PC

- Together We Can. MILES BWALYA SAMPA, Matero MP & PF

I AM still out of the country on Africa Union election monitoring duties but an audio has been brought to my attention where a Mr Chilufya Tayali, President of EPP has mentioned my name several times claiming that I do not qualify for the PF Presidency because I have not been a member for the last five years.

He also mentioned the name of one of the one applicants that he is supporting.

President Tayali seems to have a lot of PF inner circle privileged informatio­n and now has alerted us to wha has been schemes behind closed doors.

To those he may have misled or those that may have misled Mr Tayali, I was a member of PF from its formation by its founding father Michael Chilufya Sata in 2001.

Upon his death in 2014, succession conflicts arose after the two parallel general conference­s in Kabwe. The High Court and now Constituti­onal Court Judge Mulenga Mungeni and Supreme Court led by then acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakun­da ruled against the general conference that had elected me as PF President.

I retreated but later got pushed or frustrated out and proceeded to form a party we named Democratic Patriotic Front (DPF). It was how we got deregister­ed by the rhen Home Affairs Minister. I stayed without a party until late 2016 when I wrote to the PF secretary general’s office advising that I had decided to rejoin the club (PF) which was home to me.

In 2017 the then SG Davies Mwila summoned me to the PF secretaria­t for a welcoming public ceremony. In 2018 the PF adopted me to stand as its Lusaka mayoral candidate. In 2021 the PF adopted me to stand as its Matero constituen­cy MP candidate.

As PF has no membership cards and joining or disjoining is voluntary by public acclamatio­n, I returned to PF in 2016 and we are in 2022 whereas the general conference will be in 2023.

2016 - 2022 = 6 years 2016 -2023 = 7 years

So whichever maths President Tayali wants to use, it will show that l have been back in PF at least for last five years. I therefore more than qualify to stand as PF President and I am standing. “No piece of paper” or scheme by anyone or groups of people will stop me.

I am also against anyone of the candidates being prevented from standing by any technicali­ty.

Let bona fide PF officials or grassroot in the structure have the pleasure to freely choose who they want as their leader. Imposing anyone on them will not do and I am very certain that they themselves will not condone it.

In latin it is said “Vox Populi; Vox Dei” (the voice of the people; is the voice of God).

Let the people exercise their right to voice out who they want. Boardroom tactics won’t work at least not this time around.

Let those who still wish to apply to stand also go ahead between now and the congress. The more the better for our party officials so they have a wider choice.

Muyopa chani. Finshi muletina. What are you fearing to scheme to target and disqualify me and selected others. Tamwaipule. Your scheme will fail and I will stand come March 2023.

Again I thank President Tayali for revealing what those scared of free and fair intra party elections have been scheming. Baicheme while they can before we start exposing and deal with them one by one. We are five steps ahead of them and they won’t catch up. Mwatwangas­ha pafula.

To our supporters in all the 10 provinces in the party structures, please spread the word that Miles Sampa is definitely standing and no human being or “any piece of paper” will stop him.

I get your numerous inquiries on when I will visit you and be assured that it will be very soon. I look forward to reunite in person with each one of you.

 ?? ?? Mr Chilufya Tayali
Mr Chilufya Tayali

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