PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has wondered why his 2021 eligibility has now become a problem when the Constitutional Court ruled that he has only served one term of office.

And President Lungu has charged that the UPND was bent on destroying the country because they rejected Bill 10.

Meanwhile, President Lungu has urged headmen and women to advise people to register to vote.

Speaking when he met headmen and women in Mkushi District, Wednesday, President Lungu argued that he was finishing up late president Michael Sata’s term back in 2015-2016 when he served for one year, six months.

He said this meant that he remained eligible to re-contest the Presidency for a third successive time next August.

“Nga chakweba ati tamulesala abantu abantu abakweba ati abakumisosela, bakomfwe efyo abantu balekabila ninshi twaonaula ishuko tukwete yabukusala. So namilomba tupite mu minshi tutwebe abantu ukuya mukulembesha. Ilya inshita ikesa mukasale ebomulefwaya. Nga mwasala ifikopo, bukopo bweka bweka kuntanshi. Nga basala abamano, mano yeka yeka kuntashi. Pantu muli Bill 10 tamwaba ichibi cahlimo iyo. Ati muli Bill 10 muli 3rd term ya Edgar Lungu tamwaba third term mulya iyo ba concourt batile Lungu achita fye one term ukufuma mu 2016 ukufila lelo ine ni one term. Ilya nabombele iya shile ba Sata one year six months teyandi yaba Sata efyo balanda ku court, nomba chaisa kosa shani? Mu Bill 10 tamuli mulandu ati Lungu alefwaya ukubwelela miku itatu fyabufi fyonse. Pantu Bill 10 balilufyanya abanensu nga mukabelela chili kuli imwe. (If you don’t elect representatives to speak on your behalf, you will have lost out. So, I am asking you to tell the people in your area to register as voters. Time will come for you to vote for the leaders. If you choose dull leaders, there will be nothing constructive happening. If you chose intelligent leaders, then constructive things will be happening. In Bill 10, there was nothing wrong with it. They (opposition) were saying Bill 10 will enable Lungu to stand for a third term. The ConCourt ruled that I only served one term from 2016 to-date. I was finishing up Sata’s term when I served for one year, six months. The ConCourt ruled so what is the problem now? There was nothing wrong with Bill 10. That I want to run for a third term? Those are lies! Our colleagues in the UPND were wrong to refuse Bill 10),” President Lungu said.

He urged the headmen to advise people to register to vote.

“Eifyo ndelomba mayo, tata ongoleni abantu mu mishi umu balembeshe ama vote. Mu nkonkomeshe abantu nisambu iayabo ukusala. Nga basala bale sala umuntu uwakubasosela. Mwikesa mukutulila mu 202 nga mwasala ifisoso. Pantu ifisoso fikana ifintuntulu. Muli Bill muleukweba ati bana mayo baleisosela balesangwako mu parliament, tabalefwaya. Muli Bill 10 muli amashiwi ukweba ati imisepela basangweko mu parliament tabalefwaya. Bushe muli amano kwena? Bale ilishanya ati 14 days yachepa tulefwaya tulundepo inshiku bakana. Bale fwaya abanensu abalemena bale isosela bakawata shuko baleya ku parliament bakana. Elo bakabwele ati iyo tusaleni tukaye mung’anda iyamafunde bakamisosela ifinshi? Pantu balemikana. (I am asking you to get people in the villages to register as voters. Please, emphasise it is their right to vote. Let them choose people to represent them well, don’t come to cry in 2021 if you choose bad leaders. Bad leaders refuse good clauses. In Bill 10, there was going to be provisions of women, youth, and the disabled to be represented in Parliament. They were complaining that 14 days for the petition was not enough, we extended it to 30 days, but they refused. Is that reasonable? Then they should come and ask for you votes? If you forgive them, it’s up to you),” President Lungu said.

And speaking earlier when he met chiefs, President Lungu said the UPND was bent on destroying the nation because they rejected Bill 10.

“Mwachikumyako ku ilyashi ya Bill 10. Ichayipiye Bill 10 niba UPND. Ebakene fyonse balelanda ati muli poison. Ba UPND tabafwaya ubuyantanshi. Efyo balefwaya ba UPND buonaushi fye nangu ukoonaula ichalo. Ichilipo sana kusoselasha abantu baya lembesha, nga balembeshe bakakande ba UPND. Pakuti bakasale abantu abakubomabo nabo balefikilisha filya file kabila abantu. Pantu bakulalufyanya imyaka ilesa, eba tuweshe munuma iya Bill 10 tamwali ichibi ichabamo. (You touched on the issue of Bill 10. What killed Bill 10 was the UPND! They refused all the clauses and said ‘it was poisonous!’ UPND never wants development. They want to destroy the country. What is important is to encourage people to register as voters so that we can beat UPND. They should choose leaders who will represent them well because the UPND will make further confusion in the future. They took us back when they rejected Bill 10, there was nothing wrong with it),” argued President Lungu.

Meanwhile, President Lungu insisted that the PF could only lose power if it became a “victim of its own success story.”