The NDC Akafumba faction elects George Sichula as Interim President

Newly appointed National Democratic Congress (NDC) interim President George Sichula has pledged to unite and grow the party.

Mr. Sichula has taken over the NDC presidency from Mwenya Musenge, who has been dropped by the party governing council.

The NDC national governing council recently decided to replace Musenge who took over from Josephs Akafumba with Mr. Sichula.

Other changes made on the interim basis includes unveiling vice-president – administration, James Wamunyima, vice-president-political, Joseph Chishala, national party spokesperson Emmanuel Malite, secretary general Dr Paul Mbulo and media director Kirby Kaoma Musonda.

In an interview, Mr. Sichula said he was pleased to be appointed NDC and promised to meet the aspirations of the party.

“I am very excited that I have been given the mandate to lead the party. It simply shows how confident the NDC is about my leadership and it has given me confidence as well that the people within NDC to be specific the central committee has got confidence in my leadership. So I want to say I am very excited to be President of NDC. This decision is not a mistake and I want to assure them that I am going to deliver to their expectations. I have got what it takes to lead the party,” Mr. Sichula said.

He said his vision includes uniting the party and enhancing party mobilization.

“First thing first we need to mobilize the party. I have a duty to preach unity. This party has gone through a lot of turbulence, a lot of issues have happened in the recent past so my duty as President will be to preach unity within the party. Everyone is important; in Bemba they say umunwe umo tausala nda. So I want to make sure that I work with everybody, those that like me and those who do not like me as well. I am going to deliver to the expectations of the members of the NDC and the Zambian people,” he said.

Mr. Sichula said he is ready to embrace his predecessor Mr. Musenge, who is not happy with the manner in which he was dropped as NDC President.

“Ba Honourable Mwenya Musenge is my elder brother and I love him so much. I am going to work with him. Honourable Musenge has not moved out of the party; he is still a Central Committee member. He is one of us so I am even planning to go and pay a courtesy call on him and just exchange notes here and there. I think I am ready to work with him and embrace him as my elder brother. There is no need for him to go into the wilderness. Just a few days ago I paid a courtesy-call on the UPND Alliance Secretariat and the Secretary General there made the point so clear. He said Honourable Mwenya Musenge is still a party to the UPND Alliance; we have not kicked him out,” Mr. Sichula said.

He added:”My assurance to NDC members is that the time to build the party is now. We need to look to the future, we need to look ahead. There is a saying that every long journey begins with a step so we have got structures across the country. And I want to take this opportunity to just invite young people across the country that want to join politics. You have a young president here in the name of President George Sichula

You have a young president that will be able to understand how you feel economically, financially, how you feel when you get stuck in life. So I want you to encourage the young people in the Copperbelt, the young people across the country to just join the NDC. I will be there to coach them; I will be there to groom them into big leaders. Most of the leaders who are here today will not be there in the next ten years. We need another crop of leadership so actually NDC can be a nursery for young leaders that can actually become big leaders in government in future. So I want the young people on the Copperbelt, the young people across the country to work with King George.”

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