FORMER president Edgar Lungu has ruled out the possibility of reconciliation with his successor, Hakainde Hichilema, citing alleged persecution of his family.
Lungu’s decision comes after weeks of advocacy from the church for the two leaders to reconcile.
The rift between Lungu and President Hichilema has been ongoing.
For instance, two days before the 2021 election, when Lungu told a cheering crowd of PF cadres at the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport that upon winning the vote. he would arrest President Hichilema for allegedly receiving $300,000 from a mining investor.
However, Lungu’s defeat put those plans on hold. Now, Lungu claims law enforcement agencies are planning to raid his son’s farm, further fueling his refusal to reconcile.
Lungu wonders why he should reconcile with his successor, yet his family was being pursued further alleging that there is a scheme to eliminate him.
Speaking on the conversation podcast hosted be Emmanuel Mwamba on Sunday, Lungu claimed that law enforcement agencies were planning on raiding the farm belonging to his son Dalitso on Monday, in order to distract him from attending late President Sata’s 10th memorial anniversary.
Lungu clarified that he’s son has not fled the country contrary to rumors making rounds that, he has left Zambia just like his sister Tasila who is Chawama member of parliament.
“I have information that they want to raid my son’s farm to disrupt the happenings. They are saying he has run away. I rang him to say Dalitso where are you?-and he said am at home. My passport is with the State,”he said.
Lungu said based on the same he felt the proposed reconciliation with his successor was lacking in warmth claiming there was a ploy to prevent him from contesting the 2026 election and send him to the ‘land of flowers’.
“There’s no desire by anyone in office to reconcile with me. They would rather eliminate me from the ballot and if possible put a bullet in my head,” he alleged.
Lungu said he has come to terms that he will not try his luck for his third term for the second time, but only God knows what he deserves.
“The fight that I cannot be on the ballot has been appreciated. The fight that I will get a bullet is being investigated but all the same I can say God almighty knows what I deserve,” he said.
Lungu maintained that he had to return to active politics and sacrifice his retirement benefits because he was left with no option but to stand up for his family.
“I was in retirement someone came and woke me up, harrassed me to a point where I had to defend myself. Am still defending myself, I have to defend my family but my biggest family is the Zambian people who are suffering whom we promised a lot of things we haven’t done,”he said.
He added that he will fulfill his promise to Sata to take PF to greater heights as it was not for sale to the highest bidder, hence he doe not see the need for reconciliation over coffee.
“I became President because of PF and then I should watch PF die because am enjoying benefits from HH ? I said no no no this can’t be I came back to re-organize PF and am still going to make sure that PF survives; because I owe a lot to PF,” said Lungu.
“They are killing PF and we should reconcile with handshakes over coffee?.”
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba October 30, 2024.
