Maravi

Banda wants Sata to retire

Banda wants Sata to retire
By Chibaula Silwamba and Christopher Miti in Chipata
Saturday September 13, 2008 [04:01]

VICE-President Rupiah Banda yesterday said it will be nice to defeat Patriotic Front (PF) presidential candidate Michael Sata so that he retires from politics. And Vice-President Banda, who hails from Eastern Province, said he expects the highest number of votes from this province to offset any deficits he might have in other provinces.

Addressing people who welcomed him at Chipata Airport, Vice-President Banda - in an apparent reference to the PF and Sata - reminded the people that a certain opposition party was leading in the 2006 presidential elections but was defeated by the MMD.

"Like you remember in the last election when we heard the news that the other party has swept the Copperbelt and has swept Lusaka but North-Western Province came with a bang.
Their vote alone was able to wipe out what the other party had gained. Then we heard the result that came from Western Province, then we heard that the Central Province had given big vote to their son, the late president, so we left them behind for good," said Vice-President Banda who is also MMD presidential candidate in the October 30 presidential election.

"The time the Eastern Province came was to wipe out the name of that party, they are walking on one leg now because we defeated them. It will be so nice to defeat them again this time so that they can retire from politics. Of course I expect that the Eastern Province will give me the biggest vote so that anywhere where there will be a deficit, the vote from Eastern Province will cover."

Vice-President Banda asked the easterners to vote for him, their own son.
"The other candidates tell them to return where they have come from. I will come here later for campaigns. I will start from Chongwe and I will be travelling by road," Vice-President Banda said.

"I want to thank my colleagues who have come with me here to support me to show you that they will carry me to all the provinces of Zambia in order to ask for their votes which I am sure if we ask the people properly, if we work hard and walk door-to-door they will give us that support."

Vice-President Banda said he was very thankful to the people of Eastern Province for having "created" him.

"I am from you; I have my late mother here, my grandparents here, my brothers, my children, my grandchildren. I look round here, I almost know everyone, I am very proud of that and I am very happy to be in front of you now as a representative of the party in the forthcoming elections," he said.

Vice-President Banda thanked the people in Eastern Province for the manner they loved president Mwanawasa when he was alive and in death. He said he was happy that several people attended the late president's body viewing procession.

Vice-President Banda also unveiled his campaign slogan.
"The slogan is: '30th of October! Pankoloko!' On 30th October, you should show the strength of our party, the MMD which is dedicated to Zambians, which is doing wonderful developmental projects to uplift the lives of Zambians, which is building schools, hospitals," Vice-President Banda said.

He said he was in the province to attend the Kulamba traditional ceremony, scheduled for today, at paramount chief Gawa Undi's palace in Katete.

Vice-President Banda said the death of senior chief Nzamane's first born son was unfortunate.
And Eastern Province minister Charles Shawa assured Vice-president Banda that officers in the province would vote for him. He said it was difficult for the people in the province to come to terms with president Mwanawasa's death.

Shawa said people were thankful to the government for various developmental projects such as school construction and employment of teachers, health centres, roads and employment of teachers.

Shawa urged people in the province to take advantage of traditional ceremonies like Kulamba for social and economic gain.

MMD Eastern Province chairman Kennedy Zulu thanked the MMD national executive committee for adopting Vice-President Banda as the party's presidential candidate.
Vice-President Banda arrived at Chipata Airport aboard a Zambia Air Force (ZAF) aircraft.

Accompanying Vice-President Banda in the ZAF aircraft were some MMD party members including deputy national secretary Jeff Kaande, MMD spokesperson Benny Tetamashimba, information minister Mike Mulongoti - who is also Vice-President Banda's campaign manager, tourism minister Michael Kaingu, presidential minister Cecil Holmes, John Musukuma and several others.

Labels: PF, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 6:12 AM