PF Working To Disqualify UPND From Elections - Kakoma

The United Party for National Development has accused the Patriotic Front government of undermining the opposition party by instructing police officers to disrupt party meetings. 

UPND Spokesperson Charles Kakoma said this is in order to prevent the party from holding internal elections, thereby disqualifying it from contesting net year’s general election. 

Mr Kakoma said that UPND officials had notified police of their meetings in a timely fashion but that police had refused to sanction the meetings owing to “instructions from above”. 

He added that the UPND had experienced many instances of the police denying members’ right to assemble as well as officers abusing their powers to arrest innocent members of the party. 

UPND Chairman for Research and Policy Dr Choolwe Beyani was arrested alongside several other members last month for holding intra-party elections in the bush in Copperbelt Province. 

Mr Kakoma has surmised that the PF intends to prevent the UPND from holding internal elections so as to prevent the party from qualifying for the 2021 presidential and general elections.