WEST UPND ON VERGE OF SPLITTING…as HH orders to give losing candidates provincial positions
By Daily Revelation reporter
UPND in Western Province is on the verge of splitting following failure by the top leadership to recognise duly elected provincial executive leadership.
And the provincial leadership has warned their top leadership of grave consequences should they go ahead with undemocratic tendencies.
Last Friday, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema convened a meeting at his house in New Kasama with losing candidates: Musangu Njamba, Josephine Nakapaila, Mbangu Mbangu, Boyd, Mbinji and others to discuss way forward following their loss in last week’s provincial intraparty elections, according to impeccable sources.
The meeting which was arranged by Max Simuwe who works in the office of UPND national chairperson Mutale Nalumango, was designed to “indirectly” and technically disqualify duly elected Western Province executive committee led by Nkeyema member of Parliament Kapelwa Mbangweta.
According to sources, since the election of Mbangweta as Western provincial chairman, Nalumango had never rested, and it from this perspective that she is doing everything within her powers to ensure her people led by Njamba are made part of the provincial executive committee.
Sources said, Nalumango through Simuwe, Njamba and his group secured a meeting with Hichilema primarily aimed to finding their way into the provincial executive committee.
“So, as we are talking right now, Musangu Njamba, Josephine Nakapaila, Mbangu Mbangu (former youth chairman), Boyd, Mbinji and others are here in Lusaka. They came through Madam Nalumango’s connection and meeting was arranged to meet P1 (figuratively denoting Hichilema). They met P1 yesterday (Saturday), ku nyumba kwake ku New Kasama (at Hichilema’s house in New Kasama). Max Simuwe who works in Mutale Nalumango’s office is the one who arranged the meeting with HH,” sources continued to explain.
“So, Max Simuwe called ba (Kapelwa) Mbangweta to say there is a meeting here ku Nyumba ya P1. Ba Mbangwe was told to come alone. That’s how ba Mbangweta went alone. When he reached there, he met P1 with Njamba’s team. Whatever they discussed before ba Mbangweta arrived, nobody knows. So, P1 asked ba Mbangweta why he had come alone. And he was like, I was told to come alone, that’s why I have come alone.”
At this point, sources said, Hichilema asked people who accompanied Njamba to leave the meeting room, so he could talk to Mbangweta and Njamba.
“So, P1 told the Musangu’s team to excuse them. Only Musangu and ba Mbangweta remained with him. He (jokingly) told them that, ‘I am not chasing you. Don’t go to Western Province saying I have chased you. I just want to talk to these two.’ That how ba Mbangweta and Musangu remained. And Max Simuwe was also part of the meeting. Then, he (Hichilema) goes to say, we need a solution in Western Province; we need to find a solution in the Province and the only solution we have now is for you Mbangweta to accept a 50/50 scenario,” sources disclosed. “Like the one they wanted to do in Nalikwanda (constituency). You remember the Nalikwanda story you carried. And he told Mbangweta and Musangu to go to the secretariat and discuss how this strategy could be applied.”
Sources further disclosed that UPND National Management Committee (NMC) under Hichilema’s directive convened a meeting yesterday to discuss the sharing of provincial executive roles between Mbangweta and Njamba’s teams.
However, there is resistance of acceptance to Hichilema’s directive which has the potential to split the province, according to sources.
Sources said all NMC members in Western Province are against giving positions to people who lost during intraparty elections.
“So, that’s how this afternoon (yesterday) there is another meeting ku secretariat. I don’t know if it has finished. NMC in Western Province have refused. Members like madam Kaweku, Patricia Nawa, Likando Mufalali, honourable Mbangweta and the group have refused the issue of sharing (positions with losing candidates).
You know Madam Nalumango’s intention is to become vice-president and she knows that Mbangweta’s group won’t support her. So, now what she wants to do is to come up with the 17/17 membership sharing. You know the provincial executive committee in Western Province has 34 members. And they want 17 (members to come from Musangu’s group and 17 from Mbangweta’s group as instructed by HH. The idea is to bring in Njamba Musangu (in the provincial team). So, now she (Nalumango) is hoping this is the only solution that can work (in her favour to scoop the vice-presidency). This is what is obtaining at secretariat,” sources explained. “(But) people are saying they won’t accept this to happen. Others are saying if they force this decision on them, they will join PF.”
And newly elected provincial youth vice chairperson Eugen Kapatiso said he is aware of the meetings at Hichilema’s house as well as at secretariat respectively. Kapatiso has warned of grave political consequences should UPND top leadership continue to tread on the undemocratic path.
He said only in UPND do people who had been rejected by the masses rewarded with positions they did not deserve.
“They should look somewhere (else) to put him (in apparent reference to Njamba). Since (Sunday) morning, they (UPND leadership) have been holding meeting. The same issues that they are not satisfied that they lost, so they want positions even when people rejected them. Can you imagine! Kuli nkani ya so? (Is there such a thing)” Kapatiso wondered. “So, I am just saying that we respect people’s choices who put us in office the whole province. (But) if they want to give positions to people who lost; people who were rejected by the people, then there is no need to have such elections. Its better, they could have just given positions to people without holding elections; not to lie to people that they had elections. As for me, I have said that we won’t accept anyone to bring in stupidity in the party. If such is accepted in Southern Province, let it end there. We won’t entertain that nonsense here in Western Province. Here, we respect people’s will. But if they want to bring that nonsense, let them take that to Southern Province. If they want to give positions in such a way, let them give him (in apparent reference to Njamba) in Southern Province.”
Kapatiso further warned against bringing MMD political tactics in UPND, saying such were not compatible with their party values and principles.
“After all, they have been saying (that) that’s what they were doing in MMD. This is not MMD; this is UPND, and we don’t accept such to be happening. Maybe in southern province. They won’t even bring such nonsense here,” vowed Kapatiso. “We just hear Musangu, Mbangu and Matakala (Njambe): let them not bring such nonsense here. We won’t allow them to bring such here. I am here. This is my Province. We will tell our people what to do. After all, its people from all the districts that put us in these positions.”
Efforts to get to Njamba failed as his phone went unanswered. Equally, Nalumango’s phone was unreachable by Press time.-Daily Revelation