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MINISTER of Defence Geoffrey Mwamba has vowed to remain a member of the Patriotic Front (PF) against all odds.
The minister says no amount of pressure, internal or external will force him out of the party as the “endorsement” debate on President Sata loses allure.
Speaking to journalists at Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport yesterday, Mr Mwamba said he is a popular member of the PF who is recognised in all parts of the country.
“Yes if it’s the party that wants me to leave, let them do so but I don’t think so….and mind you, that gentleman who was saying I should be kicked out of the party is not even an official, he is a suspended official…you understand,” Mr Mwamba said.
He was making reference to suspended Copperbelt Province Youth Chairman Menyani Zulu who told sections of the local media that Mr Mwamba known by his moniker GBM must leave the PF.
Mr Mwamba said Mr Zulu is a political “featherweight” compared to him.
On Saturday, Mr Zulu was quoted as saying Mr Mwamba should be thrown out of the PF for allegedly causing confusion through endorsements.
Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu who also heads the PF disciplinary committee has called for calm, civility and moderation of language in the debate that appears to be quickly losing momentum.
“We must concentrate on that which unites us and not something that divides us,” Mr Lungu said, “poverty reduction and job creation is what must pre-occupy us because that is what President Sata promised the people of Zambia ahead of the 2011 polls.”
Meanwhile, Open Society Foundation Executive Director Sunday Chanda has spoken against those reducing the 2016 endorsement debate to President Sata’s health, describing it as a cheap shot.
“It is an exercise in futility for the opposition UPND to attempt to reduce 2016 endorsements for President Sata to a health issue as this propaganda cannot hold,” Mr Chanda said, “Assertions by the UPND that Cabinet must constitute a team of medical experts to examine President Sata are immoral, misplaced and highly malicious.”
He said: “This goes to confirm that UPND as a party wishes and hopes for President Sata’s ill-health for them to get closer to the Presidency…Zambia cannot embrace these politics of malice.”
