Source: Kwacha Celebrity Newspaper PATRIOTIC Front(PF) Lusaka Province Aspiring Candidate Emmanuel Chilubanama is optimistic that the delayment of the forth-coming Lusaka Province elections is in good faith and is as a result of the party leadership’s desire to have free and fair elections.
While the PF Copperbelt Province has already held polls, the Lusaka Province elections have stalled, increasing speculations and anxiety among party members.
However, Mr Chilubanama is unworried about the delayment, saying he has faith that the top leadership wants to tie loose ends to ensure that the elections are credible, considering the importance of Lusaka Province to the strength of the party ahead of the 2021 elections.
Speaking through his Personal Assistant Real Mufwaya, Mr Chilubanama said he has a lot of confidence in Party Secretary General Davies Mwila and Chairperson for Elections Yamfwa Mukanga, saying they do not want to leave any stone unturned to ensure that the Lusaka elections are transperant.
” First and foremost, in Lusaka Province, I would say we kick started Provincial Campaigns but later, they were shifted to other Provinces. Our able Secretary General(Mr Davies Mwila) announced that the other provinces would go ahead with the elections. With that said, and all being done, it is pure exercise of democracy. Lusaka Province for your own information is quite a tricky Province therefore, there has been a lot of issues here and there but that is what makes democracy beautiful. Seeing that we have leaders who are mandated to ensure that these elections are free and fair, the delayment, to the great extent is timely and we have faith in the able leadership of the Party Secretary General and Chairperson for elections. The party president who is also Republican President attended elections on the Copperbelt, that gives us hope that we have not been left alone, we have the top leadership looking at these elections,” he said.
The former State House Permanent Secretary said the delayment of the polls is good for the candidates.
“The delayment of the elections is good for all contenders to reflect and ask themselves pertinent questions whether they are ready to take up Lusaka Province or not. We are willing to wait till that appointed time. We are not interested in the position, we are interested in the welfare of the party and we are going to do everything within our means to help the President, Secretary General and the party, the mighty Patriotic Front. If we say, we want PF to be attractive, we must have programmes that are going to attract so many people. That is our aim and vision in this quest,” he said.
And Mr Chilubanama who is known for issue based and clean campaigns said he will stick to the PF pro-poor policy when elected Lusaka Provincial Chairperson.
“Our plight is with the grassroots. Looking at the challenges people face in Lusaka Province, the problems vary from one district to the other. The problems people in Luangwa District are facing may not be the same problems people in Chilanga District are facing and definitely may not be the same problems people in Chongwe, Kafue and other Districts are facing. So, we are trying to ensure that these districts are attended to according to the problems they are facing and we are promoting peace, unity, love and reconciliation… where there is no peace, you cannot find economic growth. Ours is all about mending the seemingly broken ties and helping both the Secretariat in mobilising the party and also our members to be socially and economically empowered in readiness for 2021,” Mr Chilubanama said.

He added that his team is keen on promoting Political Exchange Programme for the PF youth.
“We have keen interest in promoting political exchange programme. We have some countries in Southern Africa whose programmes somehow corresponds with ours. So, if for example, we go to Chamachamapinduzi and see how they have managed to sustain the youth and the ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe, including China to get to have those Political Exchange Programmes, it will help our youths to know our political will and become responsible citizen that will in turn foster peace, unity, love and reconciliation,” he said.

On Youth Empowerment, Mr Chilubanama said :” We want to work with different line ministries to ensure that all those programmes that are meant to benefit the publics, they get to benefit them. The Patriotic Front has no personal leadership…Ours is service above self and create sustainable means that will trickle down from the province to the District through to the Constituency, Wards and Branches. We will run the province like a business and I am sure you know that no one gets into business with an aim of not making a profit… We will buy buses for each district, build a research bureau, tangible youth empowerment schemes, intensify the exchange programmes with other political parties and also empower the women folk through what is known as ‘Village Banking,” said Mr Chilubanama.
Others vying for the Lusaka Province seat are Charles Chimumbwa and Kennedy Kamba.