Claim
On 26th February 2022, Patriotic Front – PF Facebook page published an article by the Patriotic Front Secretary General, Hon. Nickson Chilangwa claiming that the acting PF party president, Given Lubinda was evicted from the N’cwala ceremony on the instruction of President Hakainde Hichilema. In the article, Mr Chilangwa claimed that Given Lubinda was ushered to his seat at the VVIP pavilion for dignitaries by ceremony organizing committee’s Noel Nkhoma, upon which the arrival of the acting president was recognized and announced by the director of ceremonies. Chilangwa further alleged that upon the arrival of President Hichilema, the patron of the organising committee approached and told Given Lubinda that he had been instructed by a senior security officer of the Republican President to ask the PF acting president to leave.
Rating Justification
The fact checking process has determined as misleading, the claim by PF Secretary General that the acting PF president, Hon. Given Lubinda was evicted from the N’cwala Ceremony on the instruction of President Hakainde Hichilema. In a statement obtained by iVerify, N’cwala organizing committee chairperson, Noel Nkhoma explained that Lubinda was given a seat in the front row way before the arrival of the President. However, the State House security asked him to go and take the back seats, of which Lubinda opted to leave. Nkhoma further stated that when he shared what had occurred with President Hichilema upon arrival at the event, the President expressed shock to learn that his security detail could ask Lubinda to vacate a seat reserved for him. In addition, Nkhoma also clarified that the Republican President regretted to hear that Lubinda had already left the ceremony, saying he would have been happy to greet him. In another statement, the State House Presidential Aide for Press and Public Relations, Anthony Bwalya, clarified that all guests at the event were bound by the protocols of the event as had been determined and prescribed by the event’s organizing team, and therefore everyone was expected to oblige, and that at no point was Given Lubinda, or indeed any member of the PF contingent, ordered to leave the ceremony. Therefore, the claim that Given Lubinda was evicted from the N’cwala Ceremony on the instruction of President Hakainde Hichilema, is misleading.
