SP WARNS IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST UPND VIOLENCE IN BY-ELECTIONS
Mfuwe… Sunday August 10, 2025 – The opposition Socialist Party (SP) says they are tired of being beaten by UPND thugs during by-elections, saying they will now start defending themselves.
SP Chief Presidential Advisor Brian Hapunda has told journalists in Mfuwe that this time around when provoked by their aggressors who are the UPND, they will defend themselves.
He complains that even when they officially complain to law enforcers, they are reluctant to apprehend the UPND cadres who engage in political vi0lence.
“As Socialist Party, we are tired of being beaten, we are tired of loosing properties, vehicles, houses we rent during by-elections. Just yesterday in Kapiri Mposhi, the UPND cadres went and stormed our camp destroying it… We just rent these houses from innocent citizens. Going forward as SP, we shall be defending ourselves when provoked by UPND thugs, because we are capable of defending ourselves. We have been complaining to law enforcers but they have failed to protect us,” he said.
Mr Hapunda has also disclosed that the UPND government is increasingly abusing state resources during by-elections such as vehicles.
He claimed that over 50 government vehicles were being used by the UPND in the just ended Mfuwe Constituency Parliamentary by-election and they stripped number plates from them.
“We have also seen the increase in the abuse of state resources during by-elections. And this Mfuwe Constituency by-election alone, we saw over 50 vehicles belonging to the government of which they stripped number plates,” he added.
“Going forward as SP, we shall be conducting citizen’s arrest in by-elections and confiscating such vehicles and handing them back to government. We shall not allow civil servants participating in by-elections, if they want to be active in politics, let them resign.”
He further accused the UPND cadres of storming polling stations and start marking ballot papers in full view of electoral staff.
“They remained alone marking ballot papers, it’s there on the record. UPND cadres literally went and took over two polling stations Nkapila and Chiundaponde and started to get ballot papers belonging t our candidate and putting them in their tray. We want to challenge ECZ that they should conduct a postmortem of these by-elections,” he stated.
“We also want to put it on record that the police who are supposed to protect us did not protect us and they were there protecting the aggressors who are the UPND. When we complained of harassment by the UPND, the police simply said they are afraid of loosing jobs.”