NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili says his party and the UPND have agreed to go to court to try and stop the Chilubi by-election saying President Edgar Lungu cannot be allowed to run the country like an extension of his bedroom.

And UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema says Zambians must come together and stop the “PF carnage” because failure to do so will mean having a bloody 2021 election.

Speaking to journalists after the duo attended mass at St James Catholic church in Mansa, Sunday, Kambwili lamented that they were hounded out of Chilubi the previous day.

“Yesterday, president HH and I were hounded out of Chilubi. We were escorted by armed police officers to leave Chilubi. And I have never seen this in my whole political life. Every time we have elections, if the campaign period is 21 days, everybody must be allowed to campaign for 21 days. But in this case, the campaigns were three weeks, which is 21 days they have told us for the next six days, all political parties must not campaign except President Edgar Lungu. This country doesn’t belong to PF or its mother, it is our country, it belongs to all of us,” said Kambwili.

“And we are going to take action that will bring this thing to an end. We have agreed that we are going to take legal action to try and stop that election so that the playing field is leveled. President Edgar Lungu, please behave like a President and be fair to every political party. There’s no way you can want to run this country like an extension of your own bedroom, this is unacceptable.”

And Hichilema asked Zambians to rise up against PF’s undemocratic tendencies.

“The happenings in Chilubi are unacceptable. In a country that calls itself Christian. We are just out of church here and we received a message of us as leaders delivering value to the community so what value did PF and Mr Lungu deliver in Chilubi? Taking away our constitutional rights, not just our constitutional rights, our fundamental human rights; freedom of movement, freedom of association and freedom of assembly, they took them away from us. So it is the PF and him who are leading in the breakdown of the rule of law. They are supposed to be leading in maintaining the rule of law, they are the ones leading in breaking the rule of law. What does he expect citizens to do if he is breaking the law? Secondly, he is actually abusing the police. The way the police conducted themselves in the last couple of days in Chilubi is unacceptable. Specifically, our programmes were known to the police, both of us. And the police stamped our programmes. Immediately the PF saw our programmes, they decided to take those days. Isn’t that looking for trouble? Isn’t that trouble mongering?” asked Hichilema.

“The same police who were used to stamp our programmes are the same police that were used to usurp our freedoms and our rights. It cannot work like that, we cannot continue like that. We have told citizens before. Do not wait until you are affected as individuals. What happens to my colleague brother Kambwili, happens to us, it will happen to you soon. It is time for Zambians to come together and put and end to this. If we don’t do that, 2021 will be a very difficult election and someone will make it even more difficult and bloody. But we will protect, we love the people of Zambia, we will not allow that to happen, all you citizens, take responsibility to protect yourselves from this carnage from the PF, I mean, what else would you call it?”