The UPND says any member of parliament who will vote against the impeachment motion will be failing Zambians.

Recently, Kasama PF member of parliament Kelvin Sampa charged that the UPND was bribing MPs to support the motion adding; “I would accept the bribe from UPND and vote otherwise.”

But in an interview, UPND national chairperson Mutale Nalumango challenged any MP who had been bribed to come forward.

“If I have read him (Kelvin Sampa) properly, he’s a man who is supposed to provide evidence for what he’s saying because he is one of the back benchers but he’s is just saying ‘if’. So he is not even sure, he himself is saying ‘if they gave me the bribe I would get it’ but who would give him? There is no body giving anybody money, anybody at all to support this motion of impeachment because it is compelling on every member of parliament and indeed on every Zambian to support the motion. The constitution is a national document and MPs swore allegiance or took oath to defend and protect the constitution. So it’s their duty, why should they be paid for doing their duty for which they already are paid? That is our thinking and we have never bribed any member of parliament neither have we paid or do we intend paying anybody to support this motion,” Nalumango said.

“Let not Sampa go to the media and say ‘if they gave me money’, because if you were not given then let those who were given or who were bribed come out and say they were given some money to support the motion. Why should we waste so much money ourselves when we have these by-elections they are creating and need money? So what Sampa is saying is not true and he should not even expect us to give him any money or anybody else at all. If they fail to support the motion, they will have failed the Zambians, not us. This impeachment motion is about Zambians, it’s not about PF or UPND.”

And Nalumango said it was the responsibility of any right thinking member of parliament to protect the constitution.

“Even under the height of the popularity of MMD, members of MMD rose up against our president who wanted a third term because it was unconstitutional for him to do that. What it what being a true patriot to your own nation means, not patriot to your stomach or to your personal wealth, no. Even in UNIP when it was legally a one state nation, it was UNIP MPs who stood and challenged issues in Parliament against their own government. But this group of MPs in PF, for them it’s yes Bwana to everything. But I believe there are many PF MPs who are supporting the motion, that’s why PF is panicking because earlier they had said that the impeachment motion was brought in dead. Even this one (Sampa) is saying the motion is useless and it may not see the light of day. But it has been properly put before the House and the deputy Speaker [Catherine Namugala] sitting as Speaker, acknowledged that. So why shouldn’t it see the light of day? Because PF says so? Then even government will say every institution of governance is collapsing,” said Nalumango.

“And this Sampa doesn’t even know what he’s talking about, let him not talk about procedure in the House because he knows nothing. That motion is already there and if it’s not tabled then everybody will know that it’s political, because it has been properly presented, it is a constitutional right. So let them go and defend their illegality if they want to. Or indeed those who are true members of parliament representing the people of Zambia, well go and support the motion without being paid.”