Maravi

UPND exodus continues

UPND exodus continues
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mongu
Mon 04 Apr. 2011, 04:00 CAT

MORE UPND members have defected to the PF in Western Province, says the province’s PF publicity secretary Morris Litula.

Litula said in an interview from Kaoma yesterday, where the local PF leadership had been conducting a series of campaign rallies before proceeding to Lukulu, that 26 UPND cards had been surrendered.

“We have people that even defected from their leadership positions in UPND,” Litula said. “These people are disappointed that UPND decided to withdraw from the Pact.”

Litula said the defectors had realised that the country would not progress if they did not support Sata for President.

One of the UPND defectors, Henry Simakumba, who was the first chairman for the party in Kaoma district, said they had left Hichilema because they had realised that they could not work with him.

“I have been in UPND since the days of Mazoka until now when confusion crept in when UPND withdrew from the Pact. The Pact was our hope for us as UPND to remove the MMD from the government,” Simakumba said.

“We are joining PF now because we have seen that there is no hope in UPND after they withdrew from the Pact. Hichilema neglected us because he did not even consult us when they were withdrawing from the Pact. We have now realised that we could not work with him.”

Litula said the PF had very good rallies in Kaoma but that the MMD leadership in the area had been sending some of its youths to disrupt the opposition party’s meetings in the district.

Litula warned the MMD against extending the William Banda-style violence to Western Province.

Recently, some of the UPND’s top brass in the Western Province defected to the PF on grounds that they were fed up with regional politics and wanted to support Sata who enjoys more support across the country than Hichilema.

Labels: MICHAEL SATA, PF, UPND

posted by MrK @ 5:39 AM