A NEW breakaway political party from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF), to be called the Democratic Front Party (DFP), has been formed and is likely to be launched this week.
The party has been formed by some of the PF members of the central committee who contested the ruling party’s presidency at its last emergency national congress following the death of President Michael Sata in October last year.
Forms and other stationery for the new party have been distributed in Northern Province where alternative structures have been established, according to PF Kasama district youth secretary Aaron Zimba and the Daily Nation is in possession of the same documents.
The disgruntled PF members of central committee have now regrouped with the hope of contesting this year’s Presidential and general elections to undermine and weaken the PF to make it impossible for the ruling party to garner the required 50 per cent plus 1 vote.
The group hopes to play “king maker” with an opposition party and therefore gain power through a political alliance.
The breakaway political party is said to be bankrolled by some external financiers who are channeling their money through a named media house in the country following the failure by the Wynter Kabimba-led Rainbow Party to gain national support.
But PF deputy spokesperson Frank Bwalya said the PF had heard rumours that some known PF members were planning to form a political party but stated that such a political party would have no effect on the PF because it would be like a branch cut off from the main tree.
He said the ruling party had heard testimonies by people allegedly being recruited by the leadership of the breakaway party that the structures had been formed in selected regions of the country.
He said the group of PF members planning to form their own political party was doing so after having vowed that they had reconciled with the PF and President Lungu.
He said the new political party was going to be formed at the ‘‘backdrop of a chain of lies’’ because the known leaders of the party had declared their loyalty to the Head of State.
“We are happy as the PF, the party led by a reasonable and accommodating leader in the name of President Lungu, did not fall into the trap of expelling members who had been looking forward to be forced out of the party.
‘‘It had become very clear some memebrs of the central committee were looking for an excuse to be expelled so that he could blame President Lungu for their exit. But President Lungu had been smart and knew that such members were looking for someone to blame for leaving the PF and creating an impression that the Head of State was purging the relatives of late President Sata and the Bembas from the ruling party,” Fr Bwalya said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Zimba told the Daily Nation from Kasama yesterday that the breakaway political party had already formed structures in Northern Province.
He said the party in the province was born under the disguise of a football tournament dubbed the Michael Chilufya Sata Memorial Tournament which took place in Kasama between November last year and January this year.
“It is nothing new to us because we know that there are some old members of the PF who have been drafted into the provincial structure in order to weaken us. These are the same people who have been going round the province, and Kasama in particular, collecting NRCs, voters’ card numbers and phone numbers for their recruits,” Mr Zimba said.
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Teddy Banks Mwikisa
Who can vote for Miles? Cartel sponsored party.. Jealousy pipo neva win