National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili has accused President Edgar Lungu of colluding with his political advisor Kaizer Zulu and state agents to poison him.

Kambwili made the allegation yesterday during a press briefing at his house in Lusaka where he also announced that police had summoned him to appear for interrogations today at 10:30 hours.

The former Chief Government spokesperson has fallen heavy on President Lungu whom he campaigned for in 2016, accusing him of being a shameless thief who was spearheading corruption in government. But the Head of State, who fired Kambwili on corruption allegations last year, has expressed reservation in taking on the outspoken critic, saying he does not want to drag himself in the mud.

Addressing journalists yesterday Kambwili charged that the state was after his life, attributing the claim to “the intelligence report” that he received.

“On Friday, members of the press, there was a meeting at State House where the people under fraud department of the Zambia police who were investigating that case of Chlufya Tayali.., you may wish to know that Tayali reported me to the police that I had registered a company with a fake name of a person who doesn’t exist. When police investigated, they proved that it was not true. Now, when they realised that they had hit a brick wall in their investigations, they went and reported to the powers that be that the person they purported to have died is actually still alive and he is my son who is actually managing Mwamona engineering as director,” Kambwili explained.

“So they were told to at least find something incriminating me where they can arrest and detain me, so police went back and I am told they went to PACRA and found that I had signed annual returns on behalf of my son who is the director at Mwamona engineering. Now they have been instructed that I should be arrested and detained without being given a police bond tomorrow on Tuesday. So when we received this information, I called my lawyer and told him about the intelligence report that we had received. True to what we said, the lawyer came this morning (yesterday) and said he had received a call-out that we should appear at the police station tomorrow (today) at 10:30 hours.”

Kambwili claimed that President Lungu was working with Zulu, and that there were plans to poison him.

“They have been told that they don’t care what evidence they have against me. The police did indicate to them that it is a very weak case and that they cannot proceed with prosecution but President Lungu has instructed Kaizer Zulu to work with the police to make sure that tomorrow when I go to the police I am detained and refused police bond,” he said.

“So we are game tomorrow, I am going to the Zambia police hostels where a lot of people have gone and they have never died. We have received information that during the process, they would want to poison me while in detention but I have told them that God is in control and I will not die of their poisoning because God is in control,”

And Kambwili said he was going to sue the state for malicious prosecution.

“I want to tell President Lungu and Kaizer Zulu that I am ready for them tomorrow. I will be at the police station at exactly 10:30 hours tomorrow. Let them do what they want to do but I can rest assure them that we will meet in court and I think this idea of politicians abusing State institutions must come to an end. I have therefore decided that first of all we are going to sue the State for malicious prosecution in that case where they said I had authorised somebody to drive my vehicle without a license and with a fake NRC, of which case I was acquitted,” Kambwili said.

“Now they cannot continue dragging me to court and dragging my name in the mud trying to create an impression to the Zambian people that I do illegal things with impunity. So we are going to sue the State for malicious prosecution and then when we are acquitted on these other matters, we will also take legal action against the state because the President can not with impunity be directing State institutions to do wrong things in the name of gaining political mileage. So in a nutshell, I am ready for them tomorrow, let them arrest me and let them not give me police bond if they so wish and posterity will judge all of us harshly.”

Meanwhile, Kambwili also took time to castigate President Lungu for defending non-performing ministers in his government.

“How can you as President say things are hard? Then he has run out of ideas because when things are hard, you also become hard to conquer them as a leader. Now, if as President you can say we are trying, the ministers are tying but things are hard, that’s an acceptance of failure and we leave it to the people of Zambia to kick this corrupt person from State House, he doesn’t deserve to be there,” said Kambwili.