UPND: OPPOSITION PAYING YOUTHS TO BOO HICHILEMA AT RALLIES
UPND Deputy Secretary General Gertrude Imenda has accused some opposition parties of paying youths in Lusaka to boo President Hakainde Hichilema at campaign rallies.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, Imenda urged the opposition to focus on presenting their manifestos rather than resorting to tactics she warned could fuel violence.
“We are not underestimating anybody, and we are also on the ground,” she said. “But if being on the ground means bribing people, let me take this opportunity to share a report we have received. The opposition are giving money to certain groups of youths to boo President Hichilema whenever he attends a campaign meeting or rally. They are being instructed to boo him to create the impression that people don’t want him. This is happening within Lusaka, and some opposition parties are behind it. That is not the right way to campaign.”
She said the party had received reports identifying those involved. “A campaign should be open. It should be a contest of ideas, and these tactics can bring violence,” she added.
Imenda called on rivals to debate policy instead. “Let us campaign on ideas, on the manifesto, on what we have done and what we intend to do. Let them tell people how they will do better than the UPND.”
She said the party knew the identities of those allegedly bribing youths but would reveal them at a later stage. Dismissing claims that the President had made false promises, she pointed to the government’s agricultural gains, projecting an unprecedented harvest of five million metric tonnes of maize.
UPND needs to be on the ground urgently to counter the lies and deceptions being spread by the opposition. A lot Zambians know and have seen that Tonse Alliance,which PF reloaded, has no message except using Ichitumbi to campaign.
Show the people the achievements as compared to what was in PF.
There will be no Zambia to be talked about if people make the mistake of bringing back pf.