PF HAVE REALISED ATI KAMBWILI ALISEBANA KALE…no wonder they have left him from the presidential teams, charges Mucheleka
By Patson Chilemba
The PF have realised that Chishimba Kambwili alisebana kale hence leaving him out of the presidential campaign teams, opposition UPND deputy secretary general Patrick Mucheleka has charged.
Speaking with Daily Revelation over the decision by President Edgar Lungu and the ruling PF to leave newly rejoined member Chishimba Kambwili, from the presidential campaign and running mate campaign teams, including not being included to head any provincial campaign team as announced yesterday, Mucheleka said the ruling party have used and dumped Kambwili.
Kambwili – whose rejoining the ruling party was sought after for several years until he gave in and rejoined recently – has been left out from the list of those heading the presidential and vice-presidential teams in preference for Samuel Mukupa and Given Lubinda respectively. Others in the vice-presidential team include Vice-President Inonge Wina, running mate Professor Nkandu Luo and former lands minister Jean Kapata.
The list of those to head provincial campaigns includes names such as Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM), Davies Chama, Kabinga Pande, Vincent Mwale and Syacheye Madyenkuku.
Even Katele Kalumba, who served as the former ruling MMD national secretary during the formative years of the PF, which Kambwili was instrumental to until the party formed government, has been picked to coordinate Luapula Province campaigns.
But Mucheleka said that has been done because the PF have little regard for Kambwili.
“Efilya tulanda, bamubomfya elo bamusha pa mabwe (This is what we keep saying, the have used him and left on the stones), because they have realised he’s a political liability. He’s not adding any value to their campaign. These are things we have been talking about because he was desperate…because he still has the power of curses,” Mucheleka said. “He has now become a liability, useless to their campaigns. They realise ati uyu umuntu alisebana, lekeni tumushefye (they have realised that he’s already a shamed man, hence leaving him).”
Kambwili recently resigned from his National Democratic Congress (NDC) party to rejoin the PF. Before that, Kambwili had pulled out his party from the opposition alliance after rejecting the UPND name for the alliance and the decision to have all the members of parliament adopted under the UPND name, as well as the decision to empower UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to choose a running mate from within or outside the alliance.
But the UPND argued that Kambwili was being used by the ruling party to destabilise the alliance and wasting time to come on board over some important decisions in order to allow time to pass to the benefit the ruling party.
Mucheleka continued.
“They (PF) are seeing how he’s being booed by people. People are not interested in a flip flopper, today you say this tomorrow you say this. They have no time for flip floppers,” said Mucheleka.
Efforts to talk to Kambwili to react to Mucheleka’s charges failed as his line was just ringing.
-Daily Revelation