People UPND’s real opponents, Njobvu says
By Charles Musonda
THE real battle for power ahead of the August 13 general elections will be between the failed promises by the ruling party and the people of Zambia who must make a choice and not the opposition, says Democratic Union (DU) president Ackim Njobvu.
Speaking in an interview with The Mast, Njobvu said Zambians were frustrated and wanted the United Party for National Development (UPND) voted out of power in August.
He said although the opposition seemed not to be united in challenging the UPND in the August 13 general election, citizens would stand by what they felt and vote for their preferred candidates among the opposition leaders.
Njobvu said it was clear the UPND would not get 50 per cent plus one vote to win the August election.
“Then after that, the opposition may be forced to unite at that particular time…if the ruling party can’t get 50 per cent plus one vote, then there will be a re-run. At the moment I think it is a complex issue. The opposition seems not to be united. There is a lot that is at play. There are a lot of divisions. There are a lot of alliances that are being formed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Njobvu has joined other stakeholders in condemning chiefs openly endorsing President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND ahead of the election.
He said chiefs were not supposed to endorse any politician because they took care of subjects who belonged to different political parties.
“It is not right for a chief to endorse a president or a political party. I know chiefs are supposed to work with the party in power, but not to endorse. So, when they endorse, that means they bring division in their chiefdoms because it doesn’t mean that every person belongs to a political party of their choice as a chief,” Njobvu said.
