Sata warns against rigging in Chatambo

Sata warns against rigging in Chatambo
Written by George Chellah
Sunday, July 05, 2009 4:32:04 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata yesterday warned that his party will follow up whoever will rig the Chitambo by-election. In an interview, Sata accused the ruling MMD of conniving with the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to retain the Chitambo constituency parliamentary seat.

He said the Office of the Vice-President was pioneering a project to ensure that the ruling MMD retained the Chitambo constituency parliamentary seat.

"We have information that George Kunda who happens to be the Vice-President is directing ECZ and telling them what to do so that they retain the seat. They want to inflate the number of voters so that they can rig the election easily,” Sata explained. "They are inflating the number of voters already they are including ghost voters as well people who do not exist in that area. They want to inflate the total number of voters."

He said his party would move into Chitambo and unearth more information on the MMD's intentions.

"We are ready for the Chitambo by-election and we are going to the area to ensure that we sensitise the voters. We are soon moving into that area to challenge all those numbers and we will involve the chiefs as well. We have information, documented evidence that they have inflated the numbers of voters by 1,500 votes,” Sata said.

“And the 1500 are ghost voters people who do not exist anywhere in that area. George Kunda is planning heavily with the ECZ and Dan Kalale but this time around we are going for them because rigging we know it and we have experienced it and we will follow them up. All elections in this country if they try to rig we will follow up whoever will rig them starting with the Chitambo by-election."

Sata alleged that Vice-President Kunda had already begun preparing the rigging machinery in readiness for the 2011 general elections.

"George Kunda and Dan Kalale are doing everything possible to please Rupiah Banda because they know that without Kalale stealing my votes last year George Kunda would not have been Vice-President," said Sata.

The MMD recently adopted Dr Solomon Musonda as its candidate for the Chitambo parliamentary by-election, which will be held on August 13, 2009.