Hichilema Under Pressure Over Running Mate – Tayali

Political commentator Chilufya Tayali says opposition UPND president Hakainde Hichilema is under pressure to select his running mate. The running mate issue in the opposition UPND is feared may divide the party.

According to party spokesperson Charles Kakoma, the party will announce the running mate on Friday which is the day they are due to file in their nomination.

BELOW IS CHILUFYA TAYALI’S OBSERVERATION

Hakainde Hichilema (HH) is facing one of the toughest challenges in his quest to become the Republican President as his marriage of convenience with GBM comes on rocks due to the vicious and cruel clause of the running mate.

It was nicely agreed that GBM was going to be the Veep to HH when he becomes President through an appointment before the new constitution. HH must have thought GBM would fight tooth and nail to usher him into power after which he would have decided who to appoint as his Veep.

With the old constitution HH would have had no obligation to appoint GBM, after all he would have been President already.

Unfortunately the new constitution has put HH in a tight corner to dupe the ambitious GBM who is not budging for any other position other than what he was promised under a gentleman’s agreement.

HH is under pressure to choose a woman following a grand master move by smart Edgar Lungu who chose a woman, Inonge Wina, from the opposite region of the Country to his, East to west.

Meetings have been going on since Saturday when HH went to Kasama where it was appropriate to announce GBM as the running mate to woo the northern vote. Unfortunately, HH could not make up his mind so Dr. Nevers prayed over the situation that it should be sorted out in Lusaka.

Dr. Canicious Banda smelt the running mate disappointment in Kasama and avoided the meeting which was held on Monday while GBM attended with full hope of HH honoring his promise.

Unfortunately GBM was hit with a shock of his political life as former First Lady Christine Kasama was proposed. GBM argued the case and proposed that a meeting is postponed to allow Canisius Banda to be in attendance hoping he would support him (GBM).

Last evening the meeting was convened at the new Castle of HH in New Kasama with Guy Scott mediating while other people (including my invisible ZV reporter) sat in the peripheries.

The meeting was heated as the two UPND Veeps argued their cases to refuse Christine Kaseba’s name who was not in the meeting but it is believed HH has already sealed a deal with her.

After a long deliberation, which went up to past midnight, a conclusion could not be reached as GBM stormed out of the meeting after putting it categorically that he should be the running mate.

However, HH pleaded with GBM to give it another consideration to think of what HH is offering him in exchange for the Veep position.

HH is offering GBM a ministerial position of his choice and a block of positions for the Bembas (hoping I could also be included kikikikiki) plus lucrative government businesses.

Apart from being skeptical of HH’s new promises GBM just wants the status of the second in command.

GBM lamented on how much he has spent, the people he has brought in UPND and the number of cases that Edgar Lungu has slapped on him to fix him for destroying him (ECL) politically.

Canicious Banda also spoke of his loyalty while Kaseba has not even come out to declare her support for HH.

The good doctor was also is not happy with the coming in of the people like Guy Scott who had been fighting HH in 2015 when HH would have gone through as President. Canicious believes the Guy Scotts have come with an agenda to UPND.

Anyway the meeting will continue today at Guy’s house with the hope of closing on this issue in readiness for filing in of the nominations on Friday.

In today’s meeting it is expected that GBM would accept HH’s offer or bring a qualification which will convince all the members that ECZ would not refuse it otherwise both candidates will be disqualified.

From the look of things Christine will be the running mate because HH and the new comers seem to have made up their minds but they are scared of what GBM would do if they don’t settle him down.

At the moment GBM is like an angry female elephant in the Luangwa National Political Park.

Politics teyabana iyoo.

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