MMD Rejects RB Comeback Calls

Northern Province MMD publicity secretary Cephas Bwalya says the party in the region has rejected schemes by some individuals to resurrect Rupiah Banda to wrestle the party presidency from Nevers Mumba.
In a statement, Bwalya stated that such a move was meant to frustrate efforts of gallant youths who remained re-organising the former ruling party after the former leaders lost power to the PF in 2011 and went into hiding.
“…the enemies of the party MMD may use this occasion to ambush our duly elected party president Dr Nevers Mumba by misleading the former Republican president Rupiah Banda that he can hijack the presidency of the MMD, a move which is meant to frustrate the efforts of those gallant youths who remained re-organising the party after the former leaders lost power to PF in 2011 and went into hiding,” Bwalya stated.
“MMD north feels that Dr Nevers Mumba has resurrected the party to its current heights and needs to be supported by both leaders, including Rupiah Banda, and the new generation of youths in the country other than forcing old and tired people to occupy strenuous public offices such as the presidency at the expense of the youths.” Bwalya stated that the party in the Northern Province had rejected those wishing to bring frustrations to the party by calling on Banda to fight his own party.
Banda, on Monday, told his supporters at the Magistrates’ Court Complex that he would talk about calls for him to come back to politics after burial of president Michael Sata. MMD insiders have indicated that frantic efforts were being made for Banda and Mumba to meet to iron out the issue of the former’s return to politics.
The insider also said some MMD and UPND members of parliament met on two occasions in Lusaka’s showgrounds to look at possibilities of Banda being the presidential candidate for the two opposition parties but that the idea was shot down.
The source said the members of parliament felt Banda might be arrested for corruption and that it would be very difficult to sell him. “They were also very sympathetic with Rupiah Banda given what his wife is going through,” said the source.
Banda left active politics after losing the 2011 election to president Sata.