By GIDEON NYENDWA
THERE is intention to change the party’s candidate for the Kabwata by-election, Mr Daniel Tayengwa, UPND spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa has said.
Mr Mweetwa, who is also Southern Province Minister said in an interview that UPND had no intention of changing their candidate for the Kabwata by-election.
He said that the suggestions that UPND had plans to change their candidate were just mere speculations arising from the freedom of speech being enjoyed.
There have been allegations from opposition parties suggesting that the UPND engineered the withdrawal of the United Progressive People (UPP) candidate Mr Francis Libanda from the Kabwata by-election so that they could change their candidate by dumping Mr Tayengwa, who was reportedly not popular on the ground.
Mr Mweetwa said that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) did not cancel the Kabwata by-election based on their candidate but they did that because a candidate withdrew and they invoked the law in respect to that.
“There is no logic whatsoever to support the claims that UPND had a hand in his resignation,” Mr Mweetwa said.
ECZ cancelled the Kabwata constituency parliamentary by-election that was slated for January 20, by invoking article 56 (6) of the constitution.
Mr. Mweetwa said that no one was happy that taxpayers’ money was going to be wasted in carrying out re-nominations and reprinting of ballot papers.
“Taxpayers’ money was spent through ECZ,” he said.
Mr Mweetwa said that accusations that the UPND had a hand in the cancellation of the elections were baseless, misplaced and devoid of logic.
Meanwhile Mr Mweetwa also said that UPND restored order as seen during the campaigns in Kabwata where all political parties were free to campaign without any reports of violence.
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