Former minister, Chiteme, quits PF, accuses Lubinda camp of intolerance

Alexander Chiteme, who once served as Minister of National Development Planning, has resigned from his position as a Member of the Central Committee (MCC) in the Patriotic Front (PF), citing intolerance and internal hostility from the faction aligned to Given Lubinda. In a statement issued on Sunday in Kitwe, Chiteme said he had grown increasingly frustrated with what he described as unfounded accusations and internal witch-hunts within the opposition party. He said the Lubinda camp had persisted in alleging that he had joined the Forum for Democracy and Development(FDD), despite his repeated denials.

“There has never been a point when I joined the FDD. The honest truth is I have been supporting Brian Mundubile because of the intra-party nominations and the democracy we all thought we believed in,” Chiteme said, referring to his support for Brian Mundubile, a rival PF faction leader. He said it was shocking that the PF had launched an investigation to establish whether he was an FDD member.

the party until the main matter is conclusively heard. “Today PF is investigating me to see if I am an FDD member,” he said. Chiteme stressed that backing Mundubile was his constitutional right as a PF member.

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“I chose to support Mundubile because it is a PF constitutional right. I won’t shy away from that. I have the powers according to our party rights,” he said.

He told the Lubinda faction that his resignation should simplify their internal probe. “So before you conclude your investigation, let me make your job easy — I have resigned as PF MCC,” he stated. Chiteme added that he was now open to joining any political party that values his contribution, particularly towards supporting the people of Kitwe.

“I am available to any party that will see value in me — and likewise the people that we actually help, the people of Kitwe District, not through memos but through true and physical help,” he said. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redisWAtributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.

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