PATRIOTS for Economic Progress (PeP) president Sean Tembo says President Edgar Lungu has been deliberately lying to garner undue support for himself.
Commenting on the recent scandal where President Lungu posted pictures of road works in Nigeria claiming the works were those being done on the Kafue-Mazabuka road, Tembo said the act was a ground for impeachment, which the opposition should look into.
Tembo said it had become regrettable that President Lungu could mislead masses by getting pictures from the internet and purport the development was happening in Zambia.
“We have noted with deep regret the continued habit by the Republican President Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu to post fake pictures on his Facebook page and claim that they represent developmental projects that him and his PF government have implemented in Zambia, when in fact these pictures are just downloaded from the internet and represent development projects in other countries,” Tembo charged. “Firstly, it was the fake pictures about the Kafue-Mazabuka road and then it was a fake picture about fish farming, then it was a fake picture about harvesting sugarcane, all within a very short space of time. It is likely that more fake pictures posted by President Lungu will soon be unearthed.”
He said posting one fake picture might be excusable as it could be attributed to human error.
“However, President Lungu has posted more than one fake picture within a space of a week. This amounts to a systematic attempt to mislead and hoodwink the Zambian people. On this basis, there is no doubt in our minds that President Lungu deliberately planned and executed this ploy in order to garner undue support and praise from the Zambian people that his government has brought development to this country, when in actual fact his PF government has only brought poverty, misery, corruption and political violence to this nation,” he said. “We strongly believe that such fraudulent conduct by a serving Republican President could form grounds for impeachment in other democracies around the world. In the interest of preserving our democracy and enhancing accountability and the rule of law, we wish to call upon opposition members of parliament to consider tabling a motion to constitute a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate the extent of President Lungu’s culpability in this fraudulent scam of posting fake photos and claiming that they represent developmental projects in Zambia, when in fact not.”
Tembo advised that, “Upon completion of its investigations, should such a Parliamentary Select Committee find a prima facie case of fraud by President Lungu, then a motion for his impeachment should be tabled on the floor of Parliament. As citizens of this Republic, we deserve to be led by a person of sound moral standing and integrity. Posting fake pictures of alleged developmental projects is conduct of a person whose moral standing and integrity is questionable. Zambians deserve better.”