By Scoop Reporter
FORMER Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) national secretary Raphael Nakacinda’s move to offer his office as a secretariat for strategizing ahead of the convention has received overwhelming support from members from the Northern Province.
Last week, Mr. Nakacinda offered his Olympia office on Kwacha road as an operational secretariat for all members of MMD who are prepared to fight for restoration of democracy in the party and hold a convention contrary to MMD president Nevers Mumba’s position.
The office is said to be for all those who are ready to hold an open and inclusive convention contrary to Dr. Mumba’s position not to hold a convention.
Former Northern Province MMD chairperson Musonda Simpokolwe says party members in the area have welcomed an olive branch extended to them by Mr. Nakacinda and are looking forward to a “complete liberation” from Dr. Mumba and his team.
Mr. Simpokolwe says the development shows how much respect and care for the MMD Mr. Nakacinda and his team have and that their willingness to salvage the party from the shackles of dictatorship and the failed leadership of Dr. Mumba is welcome.
He maintains that the mandate of Dr. Mumba as MMD president has expired and that as a result, he has no express authority to continue in office without holding a convention.
“As Northern Province MMD, we want to thank and welcome the move by Mr. Nakacinda and his team of creating a fixed place for planning, strategy, and implementation of the project of saving the party from complete obliteration by Dr. Mumba.
“We also want to encourage our members to take advantage of the secretariat since we now have a place to coordinate our works. We were like orphans after the court handed the party to a self-imposed man.
“We had no place to meet as our secretariat was occupied by a court-imposed leader whose mandate expired years ago. We had no leader. Our secretariat is now in wrong hands and hence this move is a well celebrated initiative by the membership here in Northern. We have the numbers,” Mr. Simpokolwe said.
He has called upon the team in Lusaka, to quickly consider calling for an extra ordinary meeting of all provincial executives at the new office to drive consensus on the roadmap for the convention ahead of the 2021 general elections.
