PF deputy secretary general quitsBy Times Reporter PATRIOTIC Front (PF) deputy secretary general Chileshe Mulenga has resigned from the party and declined an appointment by party leader Michael Sata to be the party's chairperson for the research bureau, citing the party's failure to uphold its constitution.But Mr Sata said Dr Mulenga was causing confusion in the party by undertaking assignments of the secretary general and the chairperson of elections. In a letter dated September 4, 2010 addressed to the PF leader, Dr Chileshe said his resignation was a matter of principle because upholding the constitution of any club let alone a political party cannot be compromised. "I regret to inform you that I have declined my appointment as chairperson of the Research Bureau of the Patriotic Front and resign from the party and Zambian politics altogether," he said. "My resignation is a matter of principle, because upholding the constitution of any club let alone a political party in a country struggling to democratise is a principle that cannot be compromised." He said he could not remain in an organisation in which it is okay to dissolve duly elected constituency committees just for the sake of making greedy political opportunists comfortable. "I joined the PF in 2004 at a time when it was not fashionable to do so. I gave the party far much more than it could ever give me. With my education I could have easily joined the powers that be. Thus unlike most people in Zambian politics, my political journey was full of nothing but sacrifices," he said. He said he would however continue to advocate and support the democratisation of the country "through other channels open to me but will stay outside party politics at least for the foreseeable future." "At personal and family level I shall remain your friend and will of course always be there for you and yours," he said. When contacted for comment over the resignation, Mr Sata said Dr Mulenga was creating confusion in the party. "We don't know who he was working for because he was creating confusion in the party. He went ahead to dissolve the Bahati and Mansa Central constituencies without the authority of the secretary general. So he was going about doing things without the authority of his boss," he said. He said the party constitution clearly spells out the duties of both the secretary general and his deputy. Mr Sata it was undemocratic for one to abuse the office he holds because Dr Mulenga should have referred the dissolution of Bahati and Mansa Central constituencies to the elections committee. "We wish, however, to thank him most sincerely for the contributions he has made to the party. We only hope that he will be well looked after," he said.