THE Patriotic Front (PF) has accused the governing UPND of plotting to instigate violence in Lumezi ahead of the June 26 parliamentary by-election and has disclosed that it has credible intelligence information that ruling party is preparing for yet another defeat.
Brenda Nyirenda, the PF deputy secretary general and Member of Parliament for Lundazi, is alleging that UPND had mobilized its roughest thugs with the aim of intimidating voters and destabilizing the electoral process.“We have credible information that some UPND thugs will attempt to suppress the will of the people. They want to crush whoever they feel or think will vote for the opposition. But it is too late. We are ahead of them. We know all their plans and we have put measures in place to counter them,” Ms Nyirenda said in an interview yesterday.
She asserted that the PF’s victory in Lumezi would surpass the recent triumph in Petauke Central because the people in the area were angry that the UPND had continued jailing law makers from the opposition.
Ms Nyirenda said the opposition was particularly concerned that UPND operatives had been camping in Lumezi for some time, assessing the political climate and preparing to use violence to offset their waning popularity in the area.
“They know they are losing and are desperate to salvage a win at any cost, even if it means using violence. But this time, we will not sit back or run away,” she said..Repeated efforts to get a comment from UPND officials including Cornelius Mweetwa, the party’s spokesperson and Chief Government spokesperson, Elvis Nkandu, the deputy UPND spokesperson and Sports Minister and Gary Nkombo, the party’s chairperson for elections proved futile as their phones went unanswered.
And Ms Nyirenda urged media houses to deploy journalists to Lumezi ahead of and during the by-election, stating that real-time coverage could help expose any acts of political violence or voter suppression.
“It is important for journalists to be on the ground to see, hear, and report firsthand what is happening in Lumezi,” she said.
Ms Nyirenda accused the UPND of being embarrassed by the outcome of the Petauke Central by-election and warned that the ruling party would go to extreme lengths to avoid a repeat in Lumezi.“There will be mayhem, but Lumezi is our seat. We will win it and we will win it big,” she said confidently.
The Lumezi by-election is scheduled for June 26, 2025, and Ms Nyirenda said the opposition alliance was now simply waiting for nomination day to proceed with its campaign activities.
