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UPND picks Capt. Moono for Chilanga

UPND picks Capt. Moono for Chilanga
By Kombe Chimpinde
Wed 06 Oct. 2010, 15:30 CAT

OPPOSITION United Party for National Development (UPND) has adopted party chairperson for defence Captain Cosmas Moono as the Pact candidate for the Chilanga parliamentary by-election.

Making the announcement today at the party secretariat at a press briefing, UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said the party was confident that Captain Moono would win the election.

“After consultations the party National Executive Committee (NEC) decided two days ago to adopt former Chilanga member of parliament Captain Cosmas Moono as the candidate for the Chilanga by-election,” he said.

Kakoma said Captain Moono was not new to Zambian politics and that he was popular in Chilanga Constituency.

“Captain Moono was the MP for Chilanga from 2001 to 2006 when the former minister of finance took over. In my opinion, Captain Moono won that election but the MMD stole it from us, so we are taking him back and we are confident that he will win us the seat,” said Kakoma.

And in an interview shortly after his adoption announcement, Captain Moono said he was thankful to the PF-UPND Pact for considering him to contest the Chilanga seat and maintained the seat was ‘stolen’ from him by the MMD in the 2006 polls.

“We will keep our eyes open this time because in 2006, we won the election but the MMD stole it from me. We petitioned but justice was aborted in the court process,” he said.

He said it will be easy for him to get back the Chilanga seat because former finance minister Magande did not deliver.

“For me, my campaign in Chilanga is already done because of Mr. Magande’s failure to perform,” said Captain Moono.

Meanwhile, PF was by press time still expected to announce the party’s candidate for the Mpulungu parliamentary by election.

The Mpulungu seat fell vacant following the death of that constituency’s member of parliament Lameck Chibombamilimo’s death, while the Chilanga seat fell vacant following the expulsion of Magande from the MMD who subsequently decided not to re-contest the seat.

Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, CHARLES KAKOMA, COSMAS MOONO, UPND

posted by MrK @ 3:07 PM