National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili has dared Police to arrest him, saying he is now fit and ready to face police cells or prison, unlike earlier this year when he was sick and fainted upon being arrested.

But the Roan member of parliament says he will be unable to report to Luanshya Police for interviews and investigations until next week because he has a court case tomorrow, Friday.

Meanwhile Kambwili says he is consulting lawyers to consider pressing charges relating to threats issued by Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo towards him.

On Monday, the NDC leader confronted Kampyongo via a phone call informing him that he was aware of governments scheme to charge him with treason, a conversation where the Home Affairs Minister subsequently responded that he intended to teach him a lesson.

This was followed by a police call out, summoning Kambwili to appear for questioning in Luanshya.

Addressing the Press in Lusaka, Wednesday, Kambwili said he was consulting lawyers on constitutional issues to raise against the abuse of Authority exhibited by Kampyongo.

“I think by and large we are consulting with our lawyers we want to raise constitutional issues and the issue of abuse of authority against the minister. Because there is no way that a Minister can be directing the Police to arrest innocent citizens, to make matters worse MPs who are speaking on behalf of the people. I have been MP for a long time. A lot of people have been going to my home. A lot of organisations, the Mine Workers Union, a lot of organisations have been coming to my home to bring problems and I have sorted them, I have never been arrested. Even in the MMD government. If Kampyongo calls it politics so be it. I have no regrets and I have no apologies to make. That’s my job. My job is politics. So, what does he expect from me? To keep quiet when Chinese are ill-treating our Zambians? And when I say stop ill-treating our Zambians I must be arrested. Let them arrest me,” he said.

“I will not be intimidated. I know that for a long time they have always wanted to find a way. For the past one year they have not allowed me to have a meeting in my constituency. Every time I want to have a meeting in my constituency, they unleash Police on me. And I have known that they have always wanted to have an excuse to get me arrested but I’m not worried. I was speaking on behalf of the people and those people are my voters. It appears by and large that anybody who speaks against AVIC or anybody who talks about AVIC projects becomes an enemy of the state and its for obvious reason, we all know what AVIC is. And this is unfortunate because the minister [of Home Affairs] said he was going to sort me out and this is the sorting out.”

Meanwhile Kambwili has dared Police to arrest him saying he is now fit and not intimidated of police cell or prison as was the case earlier this year when he was sick

“This is what we chose to speak on behalf of the people. And I will not be intimidated. And if they think I am scared of going to Police cells or going to prison, I am not scared. Let them not think of the first time that I was sick, and they think that, that’s my nature. If they want to arrest me, let them arrest me when I appear before them. Obviously, they want to intimidate me to shut me up for speaking on behalf of the people of Zambia but me I was born to speak on behalf of the people of Zambia. And I will continue, nobody will intimidate me. Excuse me, is this politics when people are sending the police to arrest you? I am a Member of Parliament; my job is to speak on behalf of the poor and I will continue doing that.”

And Kambwili says he would be unable to report to Luanshya Police for interviews tomorrow.

“We are supposed to go to the Police on Thursday, now we will not be able to go there on Thursday because we have a court case of Friday before Magistrate Mikalile. And its not easy to go to Luanshya on Thursday and start coming back for a court case. So, my lawyers will communicate to them when we will be able to go there, which should be next week. So that’s the position. We are aware that government has been trying for a long time to have me arrested on trumped up charges and detained. And we are reliably informed that they have issued instructions that I should be arrested and detained, but I want to tell them that I am ready for them. I am not scared of them,” said Kambwili.