UPND NOT TO BLAME OVER NDC INFIGHTING, SAYS KATUKA
By PETER SICHALI
WE are not responsible for the confusion that has rocked our alliance partner the National Democratic Congress (NDC), UPND Secretary-General Stephen Katuka has said.
And Mr Katuka said the UPND has nothing to do with the infighting in NDC.
He said the confusion in the NDC was their own internal process and that it was unfair to accuse UPND and its president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema of being behind it.
To start with, UPND is not a lion to swallow another political party and we are equally not happy that our alliance partners are fighting but I cannot comment than this because I’m not the alliance spokesperson,” Mr Katuka said.
“Why would HH sponsor confusions in the NDC and what would be the benefits thereafter? We welcomed the NDC into the alliance with the aim of working with them therefore accusations of sponsoring their infighting are quite unfair,” Mr Katuka said.
He said there was no benefit in swallowing the NDC because they were already working together in the alliance.
“We welcomed everyone on board because we wanted to work with them now, what benefit are we going to have if they start fighting,” he said.
Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) president Sean Tembo has accused UPND and Mr Hichilema of sponsoring revolt and confusions in the NDC.
Mr Tembo appealed to NDC members who had revolted against their leader, Mr Chishimba Kambwili, to reconsider their position.
By betraying their leader, Mr Tembo said, their political value had automatically been reduced to zero because no political leader would be able to trust them going forward.