PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lusaka_12th February 2020

We are taken aback at the Zambia Police and Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) failure to control the political violence in Chilubi Constituency.

We note with concern the continued attacks on our campaign officials in Kasali Polling station of Mulenga Mumpangwe village of Chilubi Constituency and the Police , Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) silence on the matter.

We wish to inform the nation that the PF thugs armed with an AK47 rifle and Machetes intercepted our campaign vehicle carrying our campaign team and badly attacked our Deputy Secretary General Patrick Mucheleka and his team , on their way to Chaba from Kasali polling station , injuring our Lubilo Ward Councillor Mr Albert Ndoba and another campaign team member , damaged the vehicle in full view of an armed police officer yesterday 11th February 2020.

Two of our officials have since been hospitalized. As usual ,Zambians should not expect the thuggery PF to take responsibility .They would instead parade known corrupt megaphones to play dirty on serious life threatening events at the expense of national security and human rights.

It is only under the PF where some people are feeding their families through lawlessness and dirty statements meant to clean blood- thirsty PF.

We are shocked that the Zambia Police Service and the ECZ have continued to ignore these violent attacks on our officials and have continued to hope for free ,fair and peaceful elections in a violent political atmosphere.

Clearly , ECZ has failed to enforce the Electoral Process Act to disqualify the Patriotic Front (PF) for perpetrating violence in Chilubi.

Our ECZ is highly compromised and we wonder how they will manage the general elections in 2021 given the high level of complacency exhibited by ECZ and the inept chairmanship of Justice Essau Chulu.

There are so many attacks on our campaign team which the Police and ECZ have opted to ignore .

In an ideal situation , we expected the ECZ to act on the matter by punishing the perpetrators through disqualification.

We would like to demand that Justice Chulu steps aside with immediate effect .Under his Chairmanship, ECZ has lamentably failed to hold free ,fair and credible elections.

Similarly, Police Inspector General Kakoma Kanganja should retire as the task ahead is too big for him.

Issued by:
Stephen Katuka
*UPND* *Secretary* *General*