By Charles Kabwita
The National Democratic Congress, NDC, is saddened by the UPND leader Mr. Hakainde Hichilema’s desperation to send the former vice president of the NDC, Mr. Joseph Akafumba, to try and destroy the party.
Mr. Akafumba has, among many things, called on NDC members to stand on the UPND ticket, clearly against what the party has been telling its members. The NDC will be fielding candidates at all levels in the 2021 elections and has urged its members to ignore the calls by Mr. Akafumba with the contempt that they deserve.
‘This destruction of the party will not work because Akafumba is only one person. We appointed him to act as vice president as we waited for the Congress, so where did he get the powers to expel our leader and do all the things he’s doing now?’ Asked NDC National Youth Chairman Mr. Charles Kabwita.
‘And for madam Bridget Atanga, her work was just based at the farm where she stays. She does not even know where the Provincial Chairman for Lusaka lives. She lives in Lusaka but never had time to inspect the structures of NDC. We merely kept her on the basis that we wanted to incorporate men and women. Mrs. Atanga challenge me, which by election did you ever attend in the NDC since the time you were appointed as deputy SG and subsequently SG? Mr Akafumba, even just in Lusaka where you live, you do not know where the ward Chairman lives,’ Mr Kabwita said.
Mr. Kabwita challenged the former NDC vice president to mention the names of the ward chairmen where he lived. He explained that to claim that Mr Akafumba could sustain the NDC and make the so called UPND Alliance succeed was a political dream that would never come to reality.
‘HH is so desperate that he first of all started destroying NAREP. I think Mr. Charles Nyirenda can attest to this. After that, he then used Akafumba to try and destroy NDC. It will not work. And if HH can have these kinds of evil plans against fellow opposition parties when he is in opposition I shudder to think what he would do to opposition parties in the country once he’s given state power’ stressed Kabwita.
Mr. Kabwita also regretted that the campaign of tribalism that Mr. Akafumba had started would just work against him. He explained that if people would take stoke of the people that had risen against Dr. Chishimba Kambwili, led by Akafumba and Atanga, an unfortunate pattern would be established.
I would like to commend the youths of the NDC for the bold decision that they have taken to side with the party and it’s leader. This is how it should be. Nonentities always want to be heard, but who can Akafumba address? He normally has 35 people watching countrywide when he has a press conference. Akafumba today is known by a few people because of CK and NDC, who knew about him before this? What political plan or strategy can Akafumba offload.
We held a by election in Roan and other places, Akafumba was no where to be seen, because the man is politically impotent. He does not even know what it takes for one to be vice president. Whatever setbacks we have faced, it should not worry the leadership and membership of the party. It’s a temporal set back. It shall come to pass and the owners of the NDC will be known.
If you have noticed, Mr Akafumba wants to destroy, Dr. Kambwili wants to safeguard. So who is the real owner of the NDC? Food for thought.
Mr. Kabwita further explained that the NDC had a Lozi vice president, Tonga SG, Lozi Spokesperson, Lozi Chairperson for Education and Lozi Chairperson for Tourism, among many others, and to claim that Dr. Kambwili was tribal was very malicious and laughable. He said that the deliberate plan to spread falsehoods to try and destroy Dr Kambwili and the NDC showed that HH and Mr Akafumba did not mean well for the politics and well being of the nation. He urged people to open their eyes, observe what was going on and judge for themselves.
Charles Kabwita