MPS’ BETRAYAL UNFORGIVABLE
…Mbita slams MPs over Bill 7, says vote a ‘constitutional coup’
By George Zulu
VETERAN politician Dr Mbita Chitala says the 135 Members of Parliament who voted for Bill 7 committed an unpardonable offence against the people of Zambia, describing their action as a collective attempt to overthrow the 2016 Constitution.
In an interview with The Mast on Tuesday, Dr Chitala said Parliament had breached the 2016 Constitution by allowing an illegality on the Bill 7 vote.
He said the judgment in Munir Zulu and Celestin Mukandila vs the Attorney General of June 27, 2025, which declared the process of enacting Bill 7 unconstitutional, void, and a nullity ab initio, was conclusive and instructive.
“It is evident that in addition to Speaker Nelly Mutti, who, as a UPND cadre embarrassed our Parliament by dancing on the floor of the House brazenly showing her incompetence to be a neutral Speaker of the honourable House, was joined by the 135 MPs to commit an unpardonable offence against the people of Zambia by collectively attempting a coup or abrogation our 2016 Constitution. This is bad conduct,” he warned.
Dr Chitala said Bill 7 died and was buried forever by the Constitutional Court.
“It could not be resurrected in any way. The attempt to resurrect it by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nellie Mutti and her handlers was illegal and contemptuous of the court judgment,” he said.
Dr Chitala explained that Part 1 Section 2 of the 2016 amended Constitution was clear on the supremacy of the law and the need to defend it.
“Every person has the right and duty to (a) defend this Constitution; and (b) resist or prevent a person from overthrowing, suspending or illegally abrogation this Constitution,” said Dr Chitala.
He said the conduct by the United Party for National Development (UPND) government, the Speaker, her handlers along with the 135 Members of Parliament, was an attempt to illegally alter the 2016 Constitution.
Dr Chitala urged President Hakainde Hichilema not to sign the illegal Bill 7 as doing so would constitute a serious crime against the people of Zambia.
“The onus to stop this illegality is in the hands of President Hakainde Hichilema, who must not sign the bill into an Act. Citizens who love Zambia must also individually and severally in their own peaceful and civilised ways prevail on President Hichilema not to assent to the Bill,” he said.
Dr Chitala also urged progressive MPs to commence impeachment processes of Hichilema if he went ahead to sign Bill 7 into law.
“If all this fails, the progressive MPs must commence an impeachment motion against all those who are attempting to vandalise our 2016 Constitution unlawfully. In the short-term, all progressive political parties and civil society must unite to defend our construction on the lines of the 1991 Garden House Conference that established the MMD to democratically remove the vandals of our Constitution,” said Dr Chitala.
