President Edgar Lungu says he is not bothered by the UPND’s decision to shun his State of the Nation address today.

All UPND members of parliament, except Chilanga’s Keith Mukata, stayed away from Parliament this morning.

Speaking to journalists before he left for Swaziland to attend a SADC Summit, President Lungu said Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Patrick Matibini would deal with the UPND MPs as he was not bothered.

“I didn’t even feel it. You see, if I cook food and invite you to eat and you are hungry, you eat. But if you choose not to eat should I bother? No, I won’t bother. I don’t think there is anything to bother about. Those who want to talk can talk. If the opposition chooses to stay away, that’s parliamentary, they will be dealt with by the Speaker but for me, and my government which is the executive, we are on course and things are going very well,” President Lungu said.

And President Lungu said he could not defend himself against hallucinations.

He was responding to a question from a journalist who wanted his reaction to reports that he was under immense pressure from the international community who were disappointed with the manner in which the presidential petition was handled.

“Why do you want to distort information in this manner? The media is global, you can communicate with the world beyond Zambia and you know what people are saying about Zambia. Do I look like someone who is under pressure? From which angle? which pressure are you talking about? Why do you want to believe people who halucinate all the time?” asked President Lungu.

“Report what is happening and what’s happening in people’s minds to say ‘this has been said but it is happening in his head, this has been said and it is factual because we have impirical data. That’s how you do your balancing. Someone says ‘Zambia is on rocks’ what evidence have you got? ‘President Lungu is under siege from the international community’ ask the international community, be inquisitive, and be inquisitorial. Because some people are taking advantage of the absence of the media to deceive the Republic. I can’t defend myself against hallucinations.”