Zambia’s main opposition, the United Party for National Development (UPND) has claimed that at least 2 000 of its supporters remained in police custody across the country since the August 11 elections, a report said on Tuesday.
According to Lusaka Times, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema said that his party supporters were detained on a variety of trumped up charges that were aimed at silencing the opposition.
Hichilema said his party was sending lawyers everywhere to represent its detained members and that their detentions were attracting huge bail amounts.
He claimed that President Edgar Lungu and his ruling PF party wanted to break the UPND and “eventually create a one party state in Zambia”.
Hichilema maintained that his party would not recognised Lungu as a duly elected leader.
Lungu, however, told his supporters over the weekend that he did not need to be accepted as president by the opposition.
“I don’t need to be accepted by the UPND. I am here and I am the president. I am accepted by Zanbians and the world at large. So what is their problem? I don’t need recognition from them, Lungu was quoted as saying.
Hichilema has accused Lungu, the election commission and court judges of being guilty of fraud in the August election. Lungu won the election by just 100 000 votes.
