Five parliamentary candidates have resigned from the opposition UPND and have since filed in their nominations as independent candidates following the party’s decision to leave them out of adoption.
The five candidates have accused party president Hakainde Hichilema of adopting unpopular candidates he has close relation with.
One of the five candidates Joshua Ng’andu who claims to have been assured by Mr. Hichilema of a possible adoption has charged that the UPND leader will pay the price for imposing unpopular candidates.
Mr. Ng’andu says it is wrong for Mr. Hichilema to accuse the Patriotic Front of being undemocratic when his party has been engaging in under-hand methods to adopt candidates.
He has therefore challenged Mr. Hichilema to tell the nation why in nearly all the 19 constituencies in the province, the party has independents adding that in Mazabuka district alone has four UPND aspiring candidates who are contesting as independents.
Mr. Ng’andu says UPND will this year be buried because its leader has lost direction and preferred to support his old friends whom he says are unpopular.
Other candidates have charged that Mr. Hichilema can no longer be trusted because he has betrayed the provincial executive committee which had earlier recommended candidates according to the desire of the grass roots in their particular constituencies.
Those contesting as independents include, Eugene Munyama and Keith Chemu for Magoye constituency, Shadereck Mwiinga for Mazabuka central and a Mr. Nakanga for Chikankata constituency.