Wed, 17 May 2017 10:30:18 +0000
By Prince Chibawah
SOME senior Patriotic Front members have launched premature clandestine campaigns to succeed President Edgar Lungu in 2021, Alliance for Luapula Young Entrepreneurs (ALYE) has disclosed.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, ALYE executive director, Edwin Nyirongo, said there was enough evidence suggesting that individuals with presidential ambitions were trying to make President Lungu fail.
Mr Nyirongo said his organization had noted with sadness that while President Edgar Lungu was working hard to deliver, there were some individuals in the ruling party were holding secret campaigns on the Copperbelt and Luapula provinces.
“It’s unfortunate that instead of supporting President Lungu’s vision, these individuals are busy holding secret campaigns to advance their briefcase presidential ambitions.
“Their aim is to make him (President Lungu) fail so that they can offer themselves as
alternatives to take over the PF leadership,” he said.
Mr Nyirongo said although every PF member had the right to aspire for the top party position, it was wrong for them to ignore the right procedure.
“We are concerned because we believe these people are somehow frustrating the developmental agenda of the PF government. That’s why even development is delaying to reach certain parts of the country,” Mr Nyirongo added.
He explained that engaging in clandestine campaigns was not only discouraging people from supporting President Lungu but had also the potential to jeopardize the delivery of development.
“We know them and we are aware of their manoeuvres. They have been coming in and out of our communities in Luapula Province and we see them on the Copperbelt trying to solicit support from us using all sorts of tricks,” he said.
Mr Nyirongo said until the situation was addressed, President Lungu’s efforts to deliver would continue to be frustrated.
And Mr Nyirongo appealed to Zambians to allow President Lungu another mandate in 2021.
“We as ALYE are of the view that if the Constitution of the land allows President Lungu to stand, we will give him full support because we have seen progressive policies under his leadership. These policies are taking us in the right direction,” he said.
