By Christopher Miti
EASTERN Province UPND chairperson Johabie Mtonga says party leader Hakainde Hichilema will get over 65 pre cent votes in the province.
But acting Eastern Province PF chairperson Alexander Miti says the ruling party will get over 75 per cent votes in the province.
In an interview, Mtonga said the visit by Hichilema to the province had increased the party’s popularity in the region.
“I think the coming of HH was timely; he has added the mood to what we are doing on the ground. The people wanted to see him and they saw him. So the people are extremely happy. People of Eastern Province are ready for elections, they feel the elections can come even today or tomorrow,” he said.
Mtonga said people have no option but to vote for UPND because of the hardships that they are subjected to.
“Things are expensive. The PF lost this election about four years ago when they stopped listening to the people. The people have no choice but to vote for HH. I think PF has already lost because you can see the mood of the people wherever you go. As I speak, HH will get more than 65 per cent of the votes here in the province,” he said.
Mtonga said his party was not violent and that it had always condemned violence.
“We are not violent as a party, it is the PF that is provoking us and we don’t fight them. We just leave them. It is the PF that introduced violence and live by it. I think you saw that HH condemned violence when he came here, that’s our stance as a party, we condemn violence in all its forms,” he said.
Mtonga said it was unfortunate that he was detained for over two hours together with Hichilema at Chipata Airport for nothing.
“Hichilema is a free Zambian, he can go to Luapula, Copperbelt or Eastern Province, he does not need a passport. I am shocked that we were locked inside the airport for two hours 20 minutes for unknown reasons. Up to now, I am failing to find the answer. My appeal
to the people in Eastern Province is to go for change, they should go for HH and the UPND,” he said.
But Miti said Mtonga’s prediction that Hichilema would get over 65 per cent votes in the province was wishful thinking because President Edgar Lungu and the PF would get more than 75 per cent votes.
“I think its wishful thinking for the UPND chairperson to say the coming of his president has raised hope for his party in the province. I think that he is not very sincere with himself and he has not seen what politics are on the ground. President Lungu will get more than 75 per cent votes in the province because he has delivered,” he said.
Miti said Mtonga should analyse the politics of Eastern Province.
“Let him know that UPND cannot in any way get 65 per cent votes in Eastern Province; that is what I may term it wishful thinking. We know that President Edgar Chagwa Lungu will get massive votes in the Eastern Province because he has delivered. This is the man who has built hospitals, schools and he has continued to empower people through social cash transfer and many other empowerments,” he said.
Miti said President Lungu had continued to work on the roads and had continued to transform the province.
On violence, Miti said the UPND was known for causing havoc as evidenced by the killing of two PF supporters by suspected UPND members in Lusaka.
However, it has emerged that one of the murdered is a UPND official in Kanyama’s Chinika Ward, who the PF are also claiming is their member.
“I am the chairperson of the ruling party and he (Mtonga) is the chairperson of the biggest opposition political party. I want him and me to preach peace in the region. We should sincerely tell the youths to desist from engaging in violence in the province,” he said.
Miti said he was praying that the country could have a violence-free election.