It would be sad to see ECL prosecuted- Tembo

"I will be the saddest person if President Edgar Lungu is prosecuted on corruption case"  Potiphar Tembo reveals.

His comment comes shortly after his party ,the United Party for National Development (UPND) filed a motion in parliament to impeach the Republican  President Edgar Lungu, for allegedly violating the constitution.

 Former Lusaka Deputy Mayor, Potipher Tembo says although the impeachment motion may not succeed based on the numbers of MPs from the ruling, the question which beges answers is  whether or not the President committed the offences where the impeachment motion is being based on. 

Mr. Tembo has since urged stakeholders not to dwell much on numbers of MPs the ruling or the opposition has when the motion comes up for debate but allow the motion to be debated in order to establish  whether  the president violated the constitution or not.

He was however, quick to mention that because of the political set up in Zambia where MPs are royal to their political parties, the motion is likely to be a flop.

Mr.Tembo's observation is that MPs have a tendancy of taking a political stance when debating matters in parliment, a reason which would result in the motion being a mere excercise in futulity.

Mr. Tembo who is also the former Patriotic Front Chawama ward 8 councilor has wondered what kind of checks and balances the UPND should provide to the excutive and the government at large.

"When they [UPND MPs] walk out of parliament they are condemned, [but again] when they bring such progressive motions in parliament like this one [impeachment motion] they are still condemned, so what should they do for them to provide checks and balances? Mr.Tembo quesitioned, saying the [impeachment motion] is the best thing."It just depends on whether these cases are there or not," Tembo said.

"My brotherly advise to the President[whom] I worked with for a long time also as his young brother is that, he should be very careful with the people is surround with, he should try by all means to look back where he has coming from, " Mr. Tembo adds.

Mr.Tembo recounted and charged that during an interaction with the fourth President Rupiah Bwezani Banda the time he was not in office, he learnt that the former president was living a lonely life because everyone runs away from him.

But he describes President Lungu as a good man and wondered why he has been surrounded by what wrong people.

Mr. Tembo however, advised President Lungu to keep a distance from his new friends whom he feels are misleading him.

"But some of us pledge that will be with him, we will not run away from him because we are not bitter people"Mr. Tembo explained

The opposition UPND has filed a motion in parliament to impeach President Edgar Lungu for allegedly violating the constitution.

On March 23, 2018 the largest opposition UPND filed a motion in parliament to impeach President Edgar Lungu on allegations that he violated the republican constitution.

Mover of the motion, Mazabuka Central Member of Parliament Gary Nkombo confirmed that the motion was going to be debated on March 28, 2018.

Roan PF MP Chishimba Kambwili will second the motion when it comes up for debate.

According to a document obtained from the Clerk of the National Assembly, the UPND has obtained the signatures of one-third of the 167-member parliament who are in support the motion.

Zambia’s constitution requires the support of two-thirds of the National Assembly for such a proposal to succeed.

And on Wednesday an impeachment motion initially raised by opposition UPND MP Garry Nkombo‘s private impeachment motion which is before the National Assembly Speaker, Dr. Patrick Matibini.

But to their surprise, National Assembly Deputy First Speaker Catherine Namugala ruled that there is no timeframe provided for in terms of a private member motion in the new republican constitution.

Ends///