UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili yesterday teamed up to drum up support for Charmaine Mehl Musonda at a public rally in Chilanga.

Hichilema said it was a waste of time blocking the impeachment motion in court because there were four other similar motions waiting to be tabled.

And Kambwili insisted that President Edgar Lungu was nothing but a thief who needed to be stopped.

Meanwhile, UPND vice-president Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba claims President Lungu has become fatter than him.

Speaking at Game and Fisheries ground, Hichilema said the UPND would not rest until President Lungu was removed from State House.

“We know they want to stop that impeachment motion, I have good news for Lungu, we have four other impeachment motion that are waiting. You take one motion to court, we bring another motion until ukachoke muja, waononga Ziko (until you leave State House, you have destroyed the nation),” Hichilema said.

“Bantu benangu kuba siba kuta? Bazaba ndalama zingati? (some people keep stealing, they don’t get satisfied? How much will they steal?)”

And Hichilema charged that the Electoral Commission of Zambia was planning to creating non-existent polling stations.

“ECZ has appointed officials to manage elections in Chilanga, in all the polling stations, they want to create polling statins which do not exist, we are already aware of that. They have put people from one province to manage elections. 60 per cent of electoral officials [ECZ chairperson Esau] Chulu has appointed come from one province. In a town like Chilanga, there is something they are planning. When they are planning these things, I also have my people in their bedroom, I know these things,” he said.

“They want to give these people certificates to vote in Chilanga when they are not registered to vote in Chilanga. The law does not allow that. This is why they are saying hey will win, because of tricks, not because they have people on the ground, they don’t have people. But we will not allow them.”

He said ECZ was not supposed to be a source of conflict in Zambia.

“ECZ must not be a source of conflict in our country. Do not do this, we are aware of what you are doing. That’s why our Secretary General is not here, I have asked him to go to ECZ tomorrow to tell judge Chulu that we know what he is planning and we will not allow it. You cannot be stealing votes all the time,” Hichilema said.

He said it was ironic that Zambians were tribal in politics but not in the bedroom.

“We should unite all of us as people of Zambia and stop this, we shouldn’t be selective. In the church, we are working together, in the choir, we are singing together, in business we are doing business together, in the bedroom, we are producing children without tribe. But when you come to politics you want to talk about tribe?” Hichilema wondered.

“There is no tribe, we are all suffering the same. The PF has brought all of us serious problems. We were all created by God.”

And Kambwili asked the people of Chilanga to show President Lungu that his thieving was unacceptable by ensuring that UPND retained its seat.

“When he was staying in Chawama, we knew him, he was a drunken master. Since we were all taught by Mr [Michael] Sata, we thought that our friend had learnt how to lead but it appears he wasn’t paying attention. We chose him, worked for him, kanshi mu mutwe mwakwe muli fye bu pompwe (in his head, he was just scheming how to loot),” Kambwili said.

“You are lucky that this seat belongs to the UPND. If you let go and give it to Edgar Lungu, then you are just telling him that “Mr thief, continue stealing”. Because if someone is doing something wrong but you keep praising them, they will just continue, they won’t know that they are making a mistake. If someone is making mistakes and you rise against him to tell him that what he is doing is unacceptable, they will stop.”

He said if Sata were alive today, Zambia would have been miles ahead.

“Have you seen the difference between Edgar and Mr Sata? Mr Sata was building roads, hospitals and clinics, putting the people’s well being first. But Edgar is constructing those things so that he can pocket the commission…Is that the man you want to continue?” asked Kambwili.

“That man is a thief. When I was coming here, I was very shocked. When I watch TV and I hear [Home Affairs Minister Stephen] Kampyongo saying ‘PF is becoming popular, we will win, but when we were coming here, when we lift the UPND and NDC symbol, people were also lifting. Now with that confidence, then who will vote for them? their mothers?”

Meanwhile, GBM claimed President Lungu had become fatter than him due to thieving.

“When you see Lungu and PF officials coming here, just ask them, where are the one million jobs you promised? Have you seen that he now has a bigger tummy than me? Edgar Lungu’s stomach has become bigger than mine and he even feels proud that he is now fatter than GBM,” said GBM.

“But let me tell you, even if you get fat from stolen money, you will become thin because we shall come and repossess everything. Even that house in Swaziland which he is building, he should just stop because we will come and repossess it. Hakainde Hichilema will send me to go and repossess that house then I bring back the money. And that $500 million guarantee he signed for Zesco, we will arrest him and tie him up together with his fingers.”

And Musonda thanked Chilanga residents for receiving her with both hands, asking them to vote for her on Tuesday.