Former first lady Maureen Mwanawasa says she has put ice on politics and will remain a private citizen. But her statement has not settled well with some UPND members who now accuse her of using the party for expediency.

Mwanawasa who contested the Mayoral elections in Lusaka under the opposition ticket in 2016 snubbed her followers on Twitter who were asking her to renounce her membership from the party, saying she holds no position in UPND.

Mwansa asked her, last Wednesday, “As a senior person in the UPND I want to understand your position on the nomination of Charmaine Musonda for the Chilanga parliamentary seat,’ to which Mwanawasa responded, “I have put ice on politics for now lam just a Zambian citizen.”

But this response attracted bitterness from some members of the UPND who took her own, challenging her to explain if she had been given a job in the PF like Dr Christine Kaseba.

Others accused her of using the UPND to advance her personal agenda and leaving to serve her own interest.

“Then renounce your position in the UPND! You cannot be a politician when it suits you Madam!” @Soulchild27 responded to the tweet.

Mwanawasa stated that she had a constitutional right to decide when to be a politician.

“I hold no position in UPND, and I have never held any. You cannot dictate to me when to be a politician, its a constitutional right [which] l should exercise when l want,” she said.

Below is the rest of the twitter war:

@2chisha2: Nope, distinguish between rights and morals. You deserve to exercise every right yes but if you wish to lead on a bunch of people, best you state your position on matters otherwise with that approach, you risk joining the “politics of the belly” bandwagon.

@mwanawasaM: Iam not joining any political party at all

@Soulchild27: No madam! You can’t wear the hat when it suits you. Do you stand for the people or do you stand for yourself? This is why Zambian democracy is going to the dogs. Because leaders like you are not responsive. If you do not support UPND ideals, why are you still wearing that hat?

@mwanawasaM: I am sure my English is clear l have put ice on politics period.

@Suzyo Makukula: Maybe a diplomatic posting for you as well maybe just maybe.

@mwanawasaM: No not at all. I know how difficult you are finding it to accept that what l have said has no other meaning. I am here lam not going any where.

@Wisdom: I saw this coming, your positivity and your sense of positive judgment has caused this. A good leader can be known from a distance. Just like a good nurse or doctor. What ever your reasons mum, all the best in it. God bless

@mwanawasaM: Absolutely and MMCI is operating with focus on education for marketeers children from age 3 months to 6 years we are in kapiri and chililabombwe and soon to open a skills centre for women and youths in Kapiri centre built with support from JICA#Zambia.

An in an interview today, Mwanawasa said she had nothing against the UPND.

“It’s my constitutional right to decide what I want to do. I am not a professional person and I have gone back to my profession, what’s the beef? I don’t know why people would want to start spreading rumours that maybe I have been given a job in PF. Why don’t they wait and see if that say will come so that they can confront me that you said this and now you have crossed. So, they should be worried if I carried any assets from UPND which I must account for, what have I carried?” she asked.

“There are still principled people in this country. I have said I am not doing politics, not any time soon. People should not assume, they should wait and see if I will stick to my principles. They should not forget that being former first lady, must as it is not recognised in the Constitution, that’s an institution and it goes with certain responsibilities and duties. Under the Maureen Mwanawasa Community Initiative, we are doing something. We run schools, and I have never stopped since I left State House.”