SEAN Tembo says given the fact that the pending legal matter on the impeachment motion against President Edgar Lungu has been concluded, it can now be debated in Parliament.
Tembo said Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini no longer had any legal or moral basis to continue keeping the motion in abeyance, and must therefore immediately restore it to the Order Paper so that it can be debated on the floor of Parliament and concluded.
In a statement, the opposition Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) leader said his party had taken note of recent calls for the Speaker to restore the impeachment motion against President Lungu which was first tabled on March 18, 2018, but was adjourned due to a pending legal matter at the High Court.
Tembo reminded Dr Matibini that Zambia is a nation of laws and that it is his duty and obligation to ensure that the rule of law is upheld in the conduct of parliamentary business.
He insisted that the Speaker had no authority to continue shielding President Lungu from being subjected to impeachment proceedings.
“So far, the Speaker has already sufficiently contradicted himself on this matter and in the interest of preserving his legacy, or whatever is left of it, he must now do the right thing and table the impeachment motion,” Tembo said.
He said PeP believes that if President Lungu is confident that he did not commit any impeachable offence, he needs not worry or panic as he will be exonerated through an acquittal.
Tembo however, said President Lungu cannot be allowed to continue subverting the rule of law by preventing the tabling of the impeachment motion using individuals such as the Speaker of the National Assembly, ”who remains shameless in his contradiction” on the matter.
But Lawyers Lewis Nathan Advocates have urged the Speaker to ignore the letter written by Gary Nkombo, urging restoration of the impeachment motion on order paper, stating that entertaining such would lead to the entire National Assembly and the House to not only contravene the subjudice rule but also nurse the House into committing an illegal act.
The advocates stated that they were acting on behalf of their clients Robert Chabinga and Robert Mulenga.
Recently, Nkombo requested Dr Matibini to restore to the Order Paper the motion to impeach President Edgar Lungu.
Nkombo premised his request on recent developments and the Speaker’s own rulings that emphasised the doctrine of exclusive cognisance.