By JESSIE NGOMA-SIMENGWA –
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) Secretary General Davies Chama has urged party members in Ndola to be patriotic and united  to strengthen the PF on the Copperbelt.
Mr Chama also encouraged members in the district who had lost ward elections not to despair or consider defecting to other political parties, but to continue contributing to the PF as it prepares for the 2016 tripartite elections.
Mr Chama, who was addressing PF members at Lowenthal Theatre in Ndola on Friday during his tour of the Copperbelt, advised those who had won the elections to work with the rest of the members as that was the only way the ruling party would maintain unity.
He said claims by the Rainbow party that some PF members had joined it were “imaginary defections” as there was no-one crossing over to the Wynter Kabimba-led party.
“Some of these political parties don’t have members. The people who are said to have joined the Rainbow party are not even a factor to us,” Mr Chama said.
He also reminded the members about how the late President Michael Sata was a forgiving leader.
He said Mr Sata loved people who criticised and called him names because after forming Government, he appointed them to leadership positions.
“The hallmark of a good leader is not to take offence but to embrace everybody, including those members who are joining the party,” Mr Chama said.
He said the party had embarked on a restructuring drive ahead of next year’s elections, and appealed for effective membership mobilisation at all levels of the PF.
He said motor vehicles, motorbikes and bicycles had been procured, adding that the mechanism for distributing them to all PF structures countrywide would be communicated to the members soon.
Mr Chama cautioned all the members against disrespecting the current PF Members of Parliament (MPs).
He said the MPs should be supported in their work as they were the elected representatives of the people.
“I don’t expect anyone to decampaign our MPs. They need the support of all the party members and for those willing to contest the positions, you should wait for the right time when election time comes,” Mr Chama said.
Meanwhile, PF chairperson for elections, Emmanuel Mpakata said constituency and district officials should not frustrate grassroots members because they were the pivot of the party.
Mr Mpakata said the forthcoming constituency elections in Ndola would not be supervised by district officials, but by an independent team.