By JOHN SAKALA
Copperbelt PF Chairperson Nathan Chanda has called on all PF elected leaders on the province and those aspiring to contest to be united and have one common objective of helping to drive the voter registration of PF members at every level.
Speaking with The Independent Observer in an interview, Mr Chanda said the Provincial PF executive wants to primarily target its members.
He said the elected leaders and those aspiring to contest must work as catalysts to spur good turnout for the PF grassroots.
“If all of us can invest in the voter registration of our own structures, our families and friends, we can do very well on the Copperbelt. If for example every Member of Parliament, Mayor and Councillor including aspirants drive more members to register for the party, it can result in our presidential, parliamentary and local government candidates winning.
“This time it is not about campaigns or being adopted but working as a as a team in more coordinated manner. This time around it is about the party not individualism. As earlier indicated, the PF on the Copperbelt will not have any other party program more important than the voter registration exercise. We want the district PF executives to mobilise the sections, branches, wards and constituencies to register. We will monitor our own voters’ registers first before we can compare with general voters’ register of the Electoral Commission of Zambia,” he said.
He said Copperbelt is a cosmopolitan province with numbers needed to win an election.
Mr Chanda insisted that an election is a game of numbers and the sure numbers for PF are its members.
“We can have the numbers at rallies but if our people don’t register then they will not vote, meaning we have technically knocked ourselves out of the political game. It is very impressive some that districts, constituencies and ward officials have done very well but let’s not be complacent but work extra hard. My advice to both the serving elected leaders and those aspiring is to invest in this voter registration exercise. They have to put aside their resources to ensure the exercise is a success or they should even forget about applying,” he said.
“Am happy that some members of Parliamentarians, Mayors and Councillors are working very well with the party and have put in some resources to support this exercise. We need to know that it’s only the party that has the mandate to keep and update membership details. So everyone who is involved and interested in this exercise must work hand in hand with the party structures to mobilise more voters for PF party,” he said.
Mr Chand also urged PF membership in the Province not to always put money first in everything they do but rather promote hard work, love, unity, determination and discipline in order to succeed.
He encouraged PF membership not to get discouraged with the slow pace of issuance of Voters cards by ECZ.
Mr Chanda is very confident that the numbers will slowly come up to register to push victory for President Edgar Lungu in 2021 elections.
He said this when his Executive Committee concluded phase III of all District and Constituency visitations in the province.
