Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:43:25 +0000
Rebellious MMD Mfumbwe Member of Parliament Stephen Masumba has joined the Patriotic Front (PF) after the Lusaka High Court threw away his injunction restraining the former ruling party from expelling him.
Mr Masumba has since relinquished his position as deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing.
He said his action was meant to test the popularity of the ruling party in NorthWesternProvince.
Mr Masumba who has been demonizing the MMD and its leadership sardonically said God would ensure that the Mfumbwe seat is won by the PF if the ruling party is going to adopt him.
Mr Masumba confessed that during the campaigns last year, he worked hard to damage the reputation and image of President Michael Sata and that he has since realized that he has been on the wrong side of politics.
Mr Masumba said although North Western Province refused to vote for Mr Sata, the President has gone ahead to include in his government MPs from the region.
The former Mfumbwe MP announced his defection to the PF at a media briefing at Long Acres Lodge inLusakayesterday.
“I am not an honourable man now as I address you. I want to inform the nation that I have with immediate effect resigned as Mfumbwe MP and have also decided to resign from the MMD. I have decided to join the Patriotic Front to test the waters for the ruling party inNorthWesternProvince,” Mr Msumba said.
Mr Masumba said he was confident that that God has ordained that the Mfumbwe seat would be scooped by the ruling party because of what he termed a lot of developmental programmes the ruling party is undertaking in the area.
Mr Masumba has also accused the MMD and its president Nervers Mumba of having caused the by-election in Mfumbwe by expelling him from the party.
He said he would vigorously use the PF don’t Kubeba slogan in Mfumbwe to make sure that the ruling party gets a seat inNorthWesternProvince.
“We did a lot of damage for President Sata and painted him black. We did not vote for Mr Sata because of the propaganda we launched against him but time has come to correct and clean his image,” Mr Masumba said.
He explained that he could not continue with his membership with the MMD when his loyalty had changed to the Patriotic Front.
He said he would be able to win back the seat under the PF if the central committee of the ruling party would adopt him.
Mr Masumba said the PF would have the brighter chances of winning the seat because the MMD and the United Party for National Development (UPND) would get divided over the seat.
“MMD and UPND will start fighting for this seat and in their confusion in their loose alliance, they will get divided and that is why I strongly believe that the PF will have a grand entry in North Western Province through me,” Mr Masumba said
