UPND deputy national chairperson Andrew Banda has threatened that his party will ask its youths to retaliate if the PF will not tame its youths who are destroying campaigns posters for the opposition.
Acting Eastern Province PF chairperson Alexander Miti says he cannot respond to Andrew, accusing him of rushing to the media before gathering facts.
In an interview, Andrew said it was bad that the PF burnt down a Socialist Party billboard in Katete and removed the UPND campaign posters in Chipata.
“Yesterday (Friday), I was in Katete and other places in the Eastern Province. When I arrived in Katete, I found that the billboard of Fred M’membe has been burnt down. I am not a supporter of Fred M’membe but I support him because he is a Zambian and he is entitled to participate in elections. PF cadres burnt down the billboard. The PF are behaving the way they were behaving before and the police are watching. In Chipata, the police are allowing the PF to put up campaign posters and no one is disturbing them,” he said.
Andrew said if the PF continues pulling down campaign posters for other political parties, his party will ask its cadres to do the same.
“We don’t want anarchy; I appeal to President Lungu and PF leaders to ensure that PF cadres are tamed. Let them not tear other parties’ posters, it’s not right! If they continue, we are also going to ask our people to do the same and if we are to do that, where will this country be left? I will give you an example, in Kampala, the whole city is full of President Yoweri Museveni’s billboards but he lost the elections in the urban part of the city. It doesn’t matter how many billboards you put, if people have made up their minds that you should go, you will go. Don’t force yourself on the people, let the will of the people prevail,” he said.
But when contacted, Miti said he does not want to comment on what Andrew said.
“I don’t want to comment on what Andrew Banda has said because he rushes to the media without getting facts,” said Miti.