UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma says attacks by PF nominated member of parliament Raphael Nakachinda are only meant to malign the party because of its stance on the Constitution Amendment Bill Number 10 of 2019.

Nakachinda, when he featured on the PF media interactive forum, Sunday, charged that some UPND members of parliament are just using their leader Hakainde Hichilema for adoption certificates in 2021, which the latter is now taking advantage of to turn them into sycophants.

“The only thing that Hakainde Hichilema holds and dangles to these members of parliament and ends up turning them into sycophants, who are not able to apply their heads and brains in dealing with matters, is that adoption certificate. I am a witness to the fact that Gary Nkombo and others went to the whip [Brian Mundubile] and said ‘can we give you the number for Mr Hichilema, just talk to him, just stroke his ego, if you stroke his ego very well, he will allow us to vote’. That tells you that these people don’t agree with their leader, it’s just that they are held to ransom because of the [prospect of being denied an adoption certificate],” Nakacinda claimed.

“…they can educate him on how things are done in parliament so that he can save himself of continued misguidance from the likes of Jack Mwiimbu and all those who take advantage of him because they use him. They have identified a weakness in him, that he has an ego that if you stroke it properly, even with falsehood you can get something out of him. The colleagues…whether it is Cornelius Mweetwa, whether it is Jack Mwiimbu or those individuals, I can tell you that the only reason they are speaking like that is because they are seeking an adoption certificate.”

But in a statement, Kakoma stated that Nakachinda is a convicted criminal whom they would not take seriously as he had failed to destabilize the MMD, his former party.

“The United Party for National Development and its leadership is not surprised at the unwarranted attacks by nominated Member of Parliament Raphael Nakacinda. After failing to destabilise his party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) , Nakacinda has joined the likes of Sunday Chanda and embarked on a campaign to malign the UPND for its stance against Bill 10. However, as a party, we are comforted at the fact that Zambians know that Nakacinda is a convicted criminal who they will not take seriously. We are aware of what Nakacinda was doing to survive prison life during his incarceration after he was convicted by the Lusaka Magistrate Court and we ask him to pay back the woman he swindled money meant to buy a motor vehicle,” Kakoma stated.

“In the past few days, the nation has watched in awe as the ruling Patriotic Front unashamedly sought to bribe opposition Members of Parliament to vote for the infamous Bill 10. Colossal sums of money were dangled at the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) Members of Parliament when the country’s health centers are lacking essential drugs. As a party, we have stood together with the three Church Mother Bodies and some credible civil society organisations to reject Bill 10. The reasons for rejecting Bill 10 are simply that the process] used to come up with the constitutional amendments lacked consensus and the contents arising from the flawed process lacked acceptance by the majority of the Zambian people. The people said there should be consensus on Bill 10 before it goes for the second reading but for reasons only known by PF, they insisted on presenting the Bill in its original form.”

He wondered why the PF were running around like headless chickens to pass Bill 10, which they say was a good bill, yet they were willing to do anything possible, including corruption, to see its success in the House.

“We would like to warn the Zambian people that entrusting the corrupt PF with any constitutional amendments is a risk they should not take. If Bill 10 was good for the country, why would the PF engage in corruption to pass a good Bill? They are desperately, running like headless chickens to pass Bill 10 because it ensures their continued stay in office. The PF is nothing but a corrupt regime that is trying to extend its life by hook or crook. We urge the people of Zambia not to be fooled by what appear to be good clauses in Bill 10 such as proportional representation. Those are like a bait meant to lure Zambians into supporting the Bill,” stated Kakoma.

“The PF is aware Zambians are not happy with their conduct of looting public resources and that is the reason they want to perpetuate their stay in government using constitutional amendments. They are aware that the country knows they have stolen huge sums of money and they don’t want to be held accountable hence wanting to manipulate the 2021 elections through the constitutional amendments. The Zambian people know too well who is involved in the illegal export of Mukula trees. With all these scandals, the PF think Zambians are so daft that they can be swayed into supporting Bill 10.”