I WAS NOT BOUGHT – KATUBA MP

By NOEL IYOMBWA THE decision to petition the Constitutional Court seeking an interpretation on whether President Edgar Lungu is eligible to stand in this year’s general elections is my constitutional right, UPND Katuba Member of Parliament Aubrey Kapalasa has said. This follows claims by some UPND officials that Mr Kapalasa was paid to defend President Lungu’s eligibility. But Mr Kapalasa said he made the decision to petition in his capacity as a Zambian and not as UPND MP. He wondered why he was being accused of being bought when he was just defending the Republican Constitution. Mr Kapalasa said he had the duty to defend and protect the constitution of Zambia as a citizen “People should learn to differentiate between politics and the constitution, why would people say I was bought when I am just defending the constitution? “It is about time people differentiated between politics and the constitution of Zambia and soon people will realise that I am doing the right thing,” he added. Mr Kapalasa complained that it was not the first time that he was being accused of being bought. He said that when he adopted to stand on the UPND ticket in Katuba he was accused of working with other political parties. “When the issue of Bill 10 came, I was accused of working with the PF, but I never voted for Bill 10. Why would people politicise every issue? If I was working with the PF, I would have voted for bill 10,” Mr Kapalasa said. Mr Kapalasa has petitioned the Constitutional Court for an interpretation of certain provisions in the current Constitution on whether President Edgar Lungu is eligible to run as a Presidential candidate in this year’s election. He said after wide consultation, he believed that the incumbent president was eligible to contest the 2021 elections. But UPND Secretary General Batuke Imenda said that the party was not aware of the court process hence, distanced the opposition from the matter.