WE DIFFERED WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE TONSE ALLIANCE OVER RUSHING TO MAKE EDGAR LUNGU THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
We were of the view that the Alliance candidate should not immediately be exposed to the government machinery because they would target him, we also warned the idea of choosing Edgar Lungu before the conclusion of the eligibility case, reveals Sakwiba Sikota.
And Jackson Silavwe has accused Sean Tembo of misleading former President Edgar Lungu into the Tonse Alliance with the hope that when when Lungu is disqualified, he (Tembo) would be endorsed as the Presidential candidate by Lungu.
During the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) meeting on modalities to choose the Presidential candidate, the Alliance Council of Presidents warned against rushing to appoint a Presidential candidate because he/she could be an easy target of state machinery.
“Let’s not fall on the same trap others have fallen into of rushing to identify and appoint the Presidential candidate now. We basically still have two years before next election. We better put structures on the ground first. Those young people bena Tembo rushed into exposing President Lungu in the manner they did. Mr. Lungu still has eligibility issues to attend plus a lot of other court cases involving his family members. There will now be increased pressure on him which he won’t withstand. We could even have fronted someone else before switching to Mr. Lungu,” Sikota told the group.
And another UKA President Jackson Silavwe revealed that the real reason for Sean Tembo to rushing into appointing Mr. Lungu as Tonse Alliance Presidential candidate were selfish ones. He is really hoping the former President would be knocked out by the courts so he would be endorsed as the Presidential candidate.
“We used to have lengthy discussions with Sean Tembo on these issues and he was not even beating about the bush. He told me several times that bamudala Ba Lungu tabakaiminine mu 2026. But he truly believes that whoever would be endorsed and backed by ba Lungu would easily beat President Hichilema in an election. And he is sure when ba Lungu is declared ineligible by the courts, he would easily back him as part of the young generation to lead the country. I told him to reduce his ambitions because winning a Presidential election is not an easy thing. Those were some of the points of departure with our team”, revealed Silavwe.