GBM eyes State House for 2021

MINISTER of Defence Geoffrey Mwamba says he will consider standing for the presidency after President Sata completes his two terms of office in 2021.
And Mr Mwamba said he initiated the President Sata endorsement campaign to block some people in the Patriotic Front (PF) who were positioning themselves to challenge President Sata in 2016 from doing so.
Mr Mwamba, who is also Kasama Central member of Parliament, said at the moment his focus is on supporting President Sata to ensure that he is given a second term of office so that he can realise his dream for Zambia.
The minister said this here on Sunday after he launched the Chishimba/Musa II national grid extension project.
“But when President Sata leaves in 2021, because he has to run for two terms, probably God willing if I will be alive, why can’t I take part like anybody else? But that also depends on the Almighty God, what if he takes me tomorrow?” he said.
Mr Mwamba, however, did not want to discuss his intention in detail saying 2021 is still far and reiterated that he has no intentions of succeeding President Sata in 2016.
“There is no way you can expect President Sata to realise his dream in five years, it is impossible. So, let’s give President Sata a chance for a second term, I will be there to support him,” he said.
The minister also said he has been vindicated on his crusade to endorse President Sata as the sole candidate for 2016 following PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba’s recent statement in which he urged Zambians to give the President more years to deliver.
Mr Mwamba said his endorsement crusade was meant to promote unity in the ruling party saying now that things have stabilised in PF, Zambians should support President Sata.
“I have been vindicated because some people thought I was doing it [endorsement] for something. I was not doing it for anything, I was doing it for the sake of bringing unity in the party,” he said.
Mr Mwamba said President Sata can never be interested in leading a divided political party because the internal squabbles would derail Government’s national development agenda.