As NAREP, we reserve the right to accept or reject applications for adoption to stand on the NAREP ticket as a Councilor or MP. Our process of Adoption starts at the Ward for Councilors and at the Constituency for MPs going up to the National Executive Committee. According to the Party procedure a person is adopted upon satisfying the following major issues
1. Having paid an adoption fee of K50 to K200 for Councilors and K500 for MPs.
2. Having satisfied the process with enough proof of availability of campaign funds on which the budget has been agreed upon by the necessary evaluators.
3. Having satisfied the process with the availability of structures on the ground.
4. The Popularity or sellability of the candidate.
5. Loyalty to the Party.
Mr. Peter Banda approached our Secretariat in January 2014 to apply for adoption to stand on the NAREP ticket as a Member of Parliament for Solwezi Central. After the interview, Mr. Peter Banda failed to satisfy the process on all the questions above.
When the by-election was postponed in February 2014, we advised him to work on the issues above and prepare himself for any eventuality. Unfortunately, Mr. Banda did not heed to our advice. He went back to Solwezi and according to the Party intelligence news we gathered, he never attended NAREP meetings, he never got involved in forming structures, in short, he disappeared from the scene. Even the people that are trying to support his frustration don’t attend our meetings in Solwezi. Therefore, when he reappeared after hearing that Solwezi Central elections were up again, we asked him to satisfy us with the assignment we gave him. He has failed to satisfy us even up to now. Without clearing with us, he went and announced to the Media that he had been adopted, something we do not take kind.
We cannot get into the details of the interview and his failure to get the adoption but we have guidelines we follow and if any applicant doesn’t satisfy our criteria, we shouldn’t be held to ransom. The Secretariat depends on the information from the grassroots and if the recommendations there are in the negative, Secretariat doesn’t change things just because a few feel it must be given nevertheless.
In conclusion, Mr. Peter Banda, did not meet the minimum requirements for adoption and his application was rejected. He had a window to make up from January to August but failed to do so. As a Party, we are not here to participate in elections but we are here to compete. It is unfortunate that he wants to tarnish the name of the Party when he himself failed to do his home work
FROM NATIONAL SECRETARIAT
16 August 2014