Nevers Mumba faction denies PF links

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:04:14 +0000

By SANDRA MACHIMA

THE Nevers Mumba MMD faction has denied assertions that the party was scheming to re-combine forces with the ruling PF while withdrawing support for the UPND.

National secretary, Elizabeth Chitika, said the alliance with the UPND was still strong.

“Our partners know how committed we are regarding our working relationship and ours is an alliance that was done publicly and when the day comes (if need be), to disengage, the nation will be informed,” she said.

According to data obtaining on the ground, Dr Mumba is said to have been holding meetings with a named minister and senior PF officials discussing, among others issues, the way forward on the planned reunification with the PF.

A source close to the proceedings who chose to remain unidentified alleged that Dr Mumba was set to dump Hakainde Hichilema’s UPND in preference for the ruling party adding that secret meetings had been taking place during which parties involved are pushing for President Edgar Lungu to meet the beleaguered former MMD president.

The source further said Dr Mumba had started distancing himself from the purported alliance with the UPND as continuing to do so would compromise his manoevres to talk to President Lungu.

Recently the UPND and its alliance partners held a press briefing but Dr Mumba was absent as he was in Kitwe relaunching his “Zambia Shall Be Saved”.

But when contacted, Dr Mumba claimed that he was not aware of the news.

He however linked the claims to his opponents saying they were scared of the pending court ruling.

“I haven’t heard of that news yet and I am the leader of the party. Our party has nothing to do with that.

And please don’t honour such news because it is malicious,” he said.

And the Mumba-led team insisted that the misguided media statement claiming that the MMD president met a minister in a bid to work with the PF was laughable.

“The named minister and Dr Mumba had a relationship that spans nearly 20 years now and regularly meet outside of political engagements.

“And yes Dr Mumba meets so many other people,” she said.

Ms Chitika accused the other MMD group led by Finance Minister Felix Mutati of trying to protect their space with the PF when infact they were using it to prop themselves up.

“This is generally the work of the Mutati faction and most particularly one Raphael Nakachinda, whose only preoccupation hitherto has been to protect their space with the PF while they use it to prop themselves up.

“It is no secret going by what has been said in the so-called mobilisation led by Nakachinda that all is not well in their alliance with their partners the PF and we cannot be drawn into their fallout.

“We have nothing to do with the distrust that they are experiencing as evidenced by the demonstrations against Mr Mutati by PF members,” she said.