Rupiah paid us to endorse him - Lukuku

Rupiah paid us to endorse him - Lukuku
By Agness Changala and Chibaula Silwamba
Thursday September 25, 2008 [04:00]

OPPOSITION National Revolution Party (NRP) former secretary general James Lukuku has revealed that the party has received K15 million from Vice-President Rupiah Banda to endorse his candidature. And NRP president Cozmo Mumba yesterday confirmed having met Vice-President Banda on Tuesday but denied receiving any money from his campaign team.

In a walk-in interview yesterday, Lukuku explained that Cozmo initially informed him on Monday about a meeting that was to be held with Vice-President Banda on Tuesday morning although he was not told of the agenda.

Lukuku said on Tuesday, he went to Government House in the company of Cozmo and party deputy national chairman Phiri around 09:00 hours. He said they were asked to wait as there were other people scheduled to meet Vice-President Banda.

Lukuku said they were later ushered into the Vice-President's office immediately after his meeting with Victory Ministries founding pastor Nevers Mumba. He said during their meeting with Vice-President Banda, he was surprised that Cozmo started to talk about endorsing Vice-President Banda when they had initially agreed to endorse UPND president Hakainde Hichilema.

"He Cozmo endorsed the Vice-President as the preferred candidate for the National Revolution Party which was contrary to what we had agreed in the party. He told the Vice-President that before Levy Mwanawasa died, he had promised them jobs with Siulapwa and other people if they help him in the 2006 elections. 'So after helping you with campaigns and everything, if you can actually continue from where he Levy left'," Lukuku narrated. "Then Vice-President Rupiah Banda said that 'Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was actually keeping most of the information on phone' and that he could retrieve it to hear what the President left. The Vice-President mentioned that it was actually difficult for him to do this give jobs because of some concerns which might be raised by other people. So having said that, the Vice-President said he could actually grant jobs to some of us in the National Revolution Party. So from there, the president, Cozmo Mumba, presented a budget, a copy of which was given to Mike Mulongoti information minister earlier.

"The budget presented was K80 million. But the Vice-President looked at our budget and said the budget was too much and the party MMD did not have enough money because they have not received enough funding. He said 'I have got a K15 million for you which has already been prepared because we knew you were coming. I have got a K15 million which you are going to collect from William Banda because William Banda was actually ushering in people together with Mike Mulongoti."
Lukuku said after the meeting was concluded, they went outside where they asked William Banda for the K15 million.
However, Lukuku said Banda appeared surprised because he said the envelope signed Dr Mumba had been given to pastor Mumba.

"So Dr Nevers Mumba had already gotten the cash, so the protocol officers got confused. So William Banda actually went back to the Vice-President and informed him of the development. So that is how William Banda picked the phone and contacted Dr Nevers Mumba and said 'akokachepa that's too small, that is for young people. We have a bigger package for you. So you could actually bring that envelope," Lukuku explained.
He further said pastor Mumba then promised to send his driver to return the envelope to Government House as they were asked to wait. Lukuku said after waiting for a long time, they raised concern and pastor Mumba was later phoned, again.

Lukuku said pastor Mumba said he delayed because his mother was unwell but he asked them to meet him at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) where he was taking her.
He said they raised concern to Banda that it would look awkward for them to meet pastor Mumba with a view of receiving from him the envelope containing the K15 million.

"Then William Banda said 'I am going to give you one protocol officer to go with to UTH'. I don't know the name but he was putting on a cream white suit," Lukuku said. "We moved from Government House to UTH. When we reached UTH, it was very difficult to contact Dr Nevers Mumba and unfortunately he called back and told us that the mother had actually died. She died at his house."

Lukuku said pastor Mumba said he would reach UTH after 20 minutes but that it took more than that before he could get there. He said they waited until all procedures of taking the body to the BID Brought In Dead section were concluded. He said the protocol officer then went to the vehicle where he retrieved the envelope, which was consequently handed to them. Lukuku said the protocol officer even joked that Nevers Mumba was a pastor so the K15 million he earlier collected was still intact.

"Me, I do my own business and K15 million is not money that can make me shiver because I do supply and I have seen that kind of thing before," Lukuku said. "So I just raised it with my colleagues. I said ‘look, we resolved as an executive that we are going to support Hichilema'... I pointed out to them that all those people who are coming out, are coming out with money. Then it means most of the people who have been announcing their endorsements like... have actually received gifts from the Vice-President. That is why they are doing that kind of thing. Now what about the future because we are youths because in the process we are going to be subjected to observe most of those political ethics if we really mean to be the ultimate in politics," Lukuku said. "So I tried to tell them on that 'then do we carry on with such activities of hiring buses?' I can be very frank with you...used us. Are we going to be establishing political parties so that people with money they keep on... So I raised all those issues. Now it became too hot."

Lukuku said Cozmo, as party president, then told him to leave the party if he did not want to be part of what they were doing. He said he told Cozmo that he was ready to leave the party and that he would take the story to the media so the truth could be known.
Lukuku said Cozmo then told him to go ahead and take the story to the media because he Cozmo knew how to deal with them.

"It's not that me I am a rich person. I cannot be taken to those extents," Lukuku said. "Then Cozmo said 'Mulongoti has actually said that this K15 million is just for the nomination. They are going to give us K40 million for the rallies around Lusaka'. I told him 'I am not going to be part of this and for the interest of the country and for the interest of politics and for the interest of all the presidential candidates'. I have got the right to tell the media what I know and what I understood about what transpired. If it amounts to corruption, if it amounts to the breaking of the Electoral Code of Conduct then it has to be dealt with the very last of it and I am not scared of anything. I am ready if anybody is going to ask me questions, I am going to answer with the boldness that I have.

"I can tell this story a hundred times and it is going to be consistent. I saw and identified the people who were there at Government House. I saw UNZASU president Solomon Ng'ambi. There was Maybin Mubanga, Jazzman Chikwakwa, Mike Mulongoti. Those were actually where you wait before you actually go to see the Acting President. But the monies were being given by Mike Mulongoti and William Banda. In the meeting, it was just the three of us with the Vice-President. We didn't meet him around nine hours because there were other people, Nevers actually took long so we saw him around 11 or 12:00 hours, somewhere there."

But when contacted for comment yesterday, Cozmo said Lukuku had been fired from the party about four days before his meeting with Vice-President Banda. He said Lukuku was maliciously trying to destroy the political situation in the country.

"Yes, I can confess I met with Mr Rupiah Banda," Cozmo admitted. "We had our meeting but our meeting was not concerning anything and there is no...unless if he Lukuku has got evidence...there is no indication, we were not given anything. That person is just after destroying us. We fired him about three or four days ago because he was indirectly working with the Patriotic Front. Patriotic Front president Mr Sata insulted me and I said 'I was not going to support him and we cannot work with him'. But we found the secretary general Lukuku indirectly working with him. So he is making those statements just to undermine our movement."

Cozmo said Lukuku did not attend the meeting he had with Vice-President Banda.
"In that meeting, I was with the party deputy national chairman. If he says he knows what we discussed how did he get that information?" Cozmo asked. "I informed them that 'I am going to meet Mr Rupiah Banda. I informed them that I am going to meet Hakainde Hichilema. I informed them that I am going to meet Mr Sata'. I was not hiding anything."
Cozmo said he had frequently called for unity among opposition political party leaders but they refused hence he opted to support Vice-President Banda.
"I can't withdraw from the presidential race because of a K15 million. If I wanted to withdraw from the race and I announce that I am going to support Mr Rupiah Banda I can't withdraw on K15 million, I would just withdraw on my own," Cozmo said. "Even if you called Mr Mulongoti now, he will confirm that he never met us. I was with Mr Rupiah Banda himself alone. I didn't see that envelope myself unless somebody else received it. My deputy national chairman did not receive it unless if he went alone using the party name and got money, which is criminal."
Cozmo said he had earlier made an appointment with Vice-President Banda through William Banda.

"I am a president. I went to talk to my fellow president Vice-President Banda. After talking to my fellow president, I left that place," Cozmo said. "We talked about continuity and the genuineness of the K30 billion Youth Fund. We talked about how the young people could be involved in national development."

Cozmo also explained that his discussions with Hichilema collapsed.
"Our discussion with Hakainde Hichilema was that 'if I withdraw then UPND should also withdraw its candidate in Ndola Central parliamentary by-election so that National Revolution Party can field a candidate in Ndola' and that is where we didn't agree," Cozmo said. "We didn't disagree based on the budget or what. We didn't agree on withdrawing UPND candidates in Ndola Central and Mwansabombwe constituencies. In fact, he Lukuku was not there during our meeting with Hakainde Hichilema because he was out of the country."

Cozmo said his party had never resolved to support Hichilema.
However, Cozmo said he would not file in his nomination papers tomorrow but would support Vice-President Banda.
"It's an automatic win for Mr Rupiah Banda and if it's an automatic win for Mr Rupiah Banda, then we are wasting our time campaigning because it's very clear that Mr Rupiah Banda will emerge president at the end of the day," said Cozmo. "So I have decided to withdraw from the race."

But William Banda yesterday said Cozmo did not meet Vice-President Banda.
"I never saw them, they didn't come there. If they came there I would have been aware about them," Banda said, asking: "Who cleared them because I was supposed to clear them if they came there? If they have told you that, it's a lie."
And pastor Mumba, who met Vice-President Banda earlier, confirmed seeing Cozmo and his officials at Government House.
"I went there to meet the Vice-President and after my meeting with the Vice-President I left," pastor Mumba said. "I know that the Revolution Party was there but I don't know what they got or what they did; I can't make a comment on what they got."
Pastor Mumba denied having erroneously received an envelope that was meant for Cozmo and his officials.

"All that I had was a programme but I never got any envelope," said Pastor Mumba.
Mulongoti was very upset when contacted to comment on the matter.
"Do you think I have a job like that of being an usher? I am asking you. You think with my status I can be an usher?" asked Mulongoti. "That man is an Acting President. He has protocol officers. Will it be in order for me as a minister to turn into an usher? You are just being malicious because you know that at my level I can't be an usher."
Mulongoti said his presence at Government House did not mean he was ushering in people that wanted to meet the Vice-President.

"You mean I should not be at Government House? If I am there, I am meeting the Revolution Party?" Mulongoti asked before hanging up.
UNZASU president Solomon Ng'ambi confirmed that he was at Government House and saw Cozmo and his officials, although he was trying to meet with Vice-President Banda concerning some problems at UNZA. He said he was unable to see Vice-President Banda because he was asked to make an appointment.

Contrary to William Banda's argument, Ng'ambi admitted that when he went to Government House he found Cozmo and his officials.
"Yes, I saw Cozmo Mumba there but believe me, I never had audience with the big man Rupiah and I was told that I should make an appointment. That is the proper channel of meeting him. I was there for about 10 minutes," Ng'ambi said.
He explained that he wanted to meet Vice-President Banda following students' threats that they would march to Government House in protest against the continued closure of the university.