UPND Bigwigs Join PF

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) national trustee Maybin Mubanga has resigned from the opposition political party to join the Patriotic Front (PF).
And former Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Maxwell Mwale has resigned from the UPND along with over 2,000 opposition members to join the PF.
This comes barely a week after UPND Katuba member of Parliament (MP) Jonas Shakafuswa endorsed President Lungu’s candidature in the August 11 general elections.
Mr Mubanga, who is former Zambia’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), announced his defection to the PF during a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
He said President Lungu is the best candidate in this year’s general elections.
“The next five years of our nation will be safe under President Lungu’s leadership and Patriotic Front,” he said.
Mr Mubanga said Mr Lungu’s presidency can be summed up as: “a presidency about healing past wounds as a nation, pulling our energies together, getting back to work and building a stronger future for succeeding generations.”
He also said this is a time to reject politics of bitterness and violence, a culture that is on the rise within political parties.
“I have taken this decision to resign from UPND, a party I was loyal to and in whose ideals I believed with a clear conscience. It is sad that that the ideals of the UPND have changed and have retrogressed to being a home of negative vibes,” he said.
Mr Mubanga said the UPND presented itself as a positive force under the leadership of its founding president Anderson Mazoka.
“In forming the UPND, Mr Mazoka envisioned a more united and prosperous Zambia that could rise above any tribal and regional divide. Mr Mazoka tirelessly envisioned a Zambia whose politics was devoid of bitterness and angry tones,” Mr Mubanga said.
He said Mr Mazoka desired and yearned for a Zambia that had realised the meaning of the motto: One Zambia one nation.
“Today I stand before you to say that those important seeds planted by late Mazoka and his colleagues have been suffocated,” he said.
Mr Mubanga said Zambian youths desire to get to the “promised land” and that President Lungu presents that great hope and that all the people must understand him in his quest to better Zambia.
He said President Lungu is a God-fearing leader and his economic vision for the nation revives the hopes for a better and more prosperous Zambia.
“Yes there have been challenges along the way but I want to salute President Lungu’s resolve not to waiver but protect economic interests,” he said.
PF secretary-general Davies Chama received Mr Mubanga and assured him of support in the party.
Mr Chama said Mr Mubanga has chosen the best time to join the PF and he will not regret his defection.
Mr Mubanga served as Mwansabombwe MP and Deputy Minister of Agriculture in President Mwanawasa’s administration.
Mr Chama also said many more big names are expected to join the PF.
He also appealed to women to apply for adoption because 40 percent of the seats in PF have been reserved for them.
He dismissed assertions that PF has no capable people to contest elections.
And DARLINGTON MWENDABAI reports that Mr Mwale, who is also former Malambo MP, has said he has been attracted to the PF because of President Lungu’s good leadership.
“I have decided to join PF because it is the party that has and is bringing development in all sectors,” he said.
PF deputy secretary-general Mumbi Phiri, PF Eastern Province PF chairperson Andrew Lubusha and MP Jack Shuma received Mr Mwale and others at Chiutika Primary School in Malambo yesterday
Mrs Phiri said the PF under President Lungu’s leadership promotes unity and called for coexistence among the new and old members.
Mr Lubusha said the 2,000 new members will be incorporated into in the PF structures such as mobilisation.
MMD Mkaya ward councillor Lawrence Chulu said he decided to join PF because President Lungu is a humble leader.
UPND Malambo district women’s chairperson Veronica Banda and UPND Malambo district youth vice-chairperson Bikadi Ngoma said PF is a progressive party that is focusing on unity and development.
But UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said Mr Mubanga’s defection has no bearing on the party.
Mr Kakoma said that there are more people joining UPND than those leaving for other parties.
“Mr Mubanga has been rejected by party members in Luapula,” he said.
And Mr Kakoma said Mr Mwale’s defection to PF is good riddance.
“People should look out on Monday the calibre and quality of people that will be joining UPND at a press briefing,” Mr Kakoma claimed.

Posted by Staffreporter on March 12, 2016. Filed under POLITICS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

16 Responses to UPND Bigwigs Join PF

mj banda

March 12, 2016 at 10:20 am

Upnd here you go. I feel pity for HH
- New Educated Zambia©√
  
  March 12, 2016 at 10:26 am
  
  A great man once said pity yourself in this life. Am sure hh is “crying “over the loss of two “big wigs” who are so well known such that tumfweko had to give a long biography as to who they are kikikikiki 😂. Election fever.
New Educated Zambia©√

March 12, 2016 at 10:23 am

Kiki kikikikiki 😂 ato big wig. Both these chaps are former frustrated mmd members who probably thought that by joining upnd we would please them by giving them higher positions aa it is closer to election. My dear two friends this is not pf where new people are treated better than old timers just to please them for defection. We are not a corrupt party. The two will fit in well in pf and am sure these are not big wigs bevan you wouldn’t have had to give a long biography of who they are if they were that big of a wig. We in upnd wish them the best and god bless. We hope to meet on thr elections battle. It’s yout right to join whatever party you like. We thank them both for their time in upnd. Go well my brothers
- kakolwe
  
  March 12, 2016 at 10:59 am
  
  Yeeeessss!! @NEZ is again very foolishly correct. UPND do not give defectors big posts. Wow!!! Stupidity at it’s best. As if he is addressing hid fellow nincompoomps. Which party offered a defector the position of Vice president even though the punk had not joined their party? Which party offered the ugly woman’s the position if National chairperson without any elections involved?
  They probably used their party erections!!
  - New Educated Zambia©√
    
    March 12, 2016 at 11:06 am
    
    Exactly gbm is not a defector. He is still pf mp. So you have again made my point for me you dull chap kikikikiki 😂. It means as gbm has not defected then his position of vp is not based on pleasing him for a defection that has not happened. Ukose kikikikiki
mj banda

March 12, 2016 at 10:29 am

Please nez continue blogging even after elections cos am currently in Zambia and I can see and hear what people are planning
- kasongo Wabaluba
  
  March 12, 2016 at 10:03 pm
  
  Who is it that had purportedly stolen Bicycles in MMD?
  Credibility or these are some of the easily recyclable materials in politics?
  Where are the young ones? Kaunda became President when He was 40 and that was at his peak. History can tell.
  Now we are getting people based on popularity and it looks like it does not matter whether they have brains or not.
  Where are we young ones?
captain

March 12, 2016 at 10:32 am

Political prostitutes!!!! Ati Trustee, trustee my foot.. This man was once in MMD and am sure was he considered himself trustee, join UPND and considered trustee, now PF. Ba PF there’s comes a TRUSTEE for you
JD

March 12, 2016 at 12:04 pm

Pliz talk about the stupid wage freeze that has been posed on innocent youths and zambians at large.it’s like all parties are jst talking abt defections which is nonsense..pipo know wats lacking in our mother country zambia!
kakolwe

March 12, 2016 at 12:14 pm

The point is, enjoy your youth day, you dangled the vice presidency carrot before the fat f#ck and he dashed after it while still wanting to hold on to his breeches. Chances are that the fool might regain consciousness and realise that he is but just a tool to let that private company called hakainde ltd to have a semblance of being national.
Am sure, in your world, Nalumango and Tekere are still MMD or you held a peticoat convention to elect them.
kakolwe

March 12, 2016 at 12:19 pm

Are you unionised?? Then court your unions!!!!!
Are you a cibombe-bombs? Get an education and be unionised. Your union shall adress your imaginary wage freeze.
hello haters

March 12, 2016 at 12:27 pm

They have just fallen for those bum shorts, these are the same chaps who were suffocating the seeds planted by mazoka, most of the time they would leave hh and a few members to campaign, now that likes of gbm has shown them what each member ought to do, jealous has creeped into their hearts.
Search

March 12, 2016 at 12:33 pm

The fools u r toking about are not bigwigs.
mj banda

March 12, 2016 at 10:29 pm

Iwe kasongo wabaluba, you are just another idiot among plenty
- kasongo Wabaluba
  
  March 13, 2016 at 8:08 am
  
  Ba Banda I can not even waste time arguing with you. Have your fun.
kasongo Wabaluba

March 12, 2016 at 10:32 pm

University of Zambia Lecturer, and UPND aspiring candidate for Kafue has described as stupid insinuations that she has defected to PF. And the former Shatel songbird has told PF that only an insane being would join PF.
‘I CAN NEVER defect to PF,’ Saboi said. ‘I would rather stop politics than be a ‘pangarian’ (Panga carrying PF cadre). So the PF guys welcoming me to their party and claiming that UPND has instead told Bradford Machila to start campaigning freely is nothing but malicious rumours,’ She said. She was reacting to wild celebrations among PF cadres after their Media Team announced that Saboi had defected from UPND.
‘I would also like to inform all our UPND members that only a mad person would leave UPND to join the sinking Titanic PF boat, so they shouldn’t worry about this rumour,’ she assured.
Saboi narrated that she only came to know of her alleged defection when she switched on her mobile phone after 18hours after a long days work.
‘After Mwaliteta supported the Constitution that prevents him from standing [for elections] due to not having a grade 12 certificate I thought I would be free from PF propaganda, but alas that was wishful thinkin,’ Saboi lamented. ‘Let me inform the PF once again that I am and shall remain a PROUD KACHEMA, proud UPND and PROUD aspiring candidate for Kafue on the UPND ticket, AND NOT any other party. And whoever the party chooses to stand on the UPND ticket, I will support that person with all my heart and soul as UPND is the best party that deserves a chance to prove what it can do for people, and it’s the party of choice for many people today,’ she said.
These are words of a wise person who will not join a party for what it will offer but rather on principle.