It’s like our colleagues in the PF leadership tricked us, cries Mutati supporter

THE opposition MMD leadership in Kapiri Mposhi has described as betrayal President Edgar Lungus decision to revoke Felix Mutatis appointment as a cabinet minister.

Making submissions to the Commission of Inquiry on Voting Pattern and Electoral Violence that was sitting in Kapiri Mposhi, district chairman John Zulu explained that in the run up to the August 2016 general elections, the Patriotic Front had to ride on the popularity of MMD to garner votes in areas that were not strongholds of PF by entering in a working alliance.

Zulu said Mutatis leadership convinced party officials to campaign for the PF where the ruling party was fielding parliamentary and local government candidates, which resulted in the PF emerging victorious.

Zulu further lamented that the working alliance between the PF and MMD had failed following the decision by President Lungu to fire Mutati from the ministerial position.

He said what was disheartening was the fact that the Head of State had decided to appoint a member of parliament from Lunte to replace Mutati where the latter once served as parliamentarian.

Its like our colleagues in the PF leadership tricked us. Recently our party president was dropped from his ministerial position. This is betrayal. And the appointment of an MP [member of parliament] from Lunte to replace president Mutati is like a calculated move. And its like most of the MMD party officials serving in the PF are being pursued. This working alliance was not made in good faith…it was not a genuine working alliance, complained Zulu.

Zulu expressed optimism that the Felix Mutati faction MMD would rise again because the former minister had assured the general membership that he would work hard and ensure that the opposition party was still popular in the Zambian political sphere and would make an impact in the 2021 general elections.