HH goes for ECL

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema yesterday spent several minutes disparaging and slighting his predecessor, former President Edgar Lungu, describing insinuations that the former head of State would be returning to power as “kutumpa uko” (that is being stupid).

President Hichilema has vowed that he would never allow the return of former President Lungu to take State power from him because according to him, the former President had committed many crimes during his reign.

“Kutumpa uko (that is being stupid). We will not allow you to return to power after committing so many crimes during your regime,” President Hichilema said.

The head of State claimed he would have died at the hands of former President Lungu but that God had protected him and there was no way he was going to allow the return of the former head of State to power because according him, many more young people would be killed.

President Hichilema said he could easily have allowed UPND to seek revenge against the PF after ascending to the presidency but had decided to restrain his members and “protected him” (former President Lungu) and therefore it was “kutumpa uko” to begin to chant alebwelelapo.

“Many people would have died if I have allowed revenge but we protected them…including him (former President Lungu). At the Ndola Airport, two days before the elections, he was saying he was going to hand over power to himself…and that he was going to arrest me so that I die in jail. Now I am here and I should allow him to come back so that he can come and arrest me so that I die in jail. So that many more young people should be killed…Kutumpa uko,” President Hichilema said.

President Hichilema said the former head of State risked losing his freedoms should the UPND decide to avenge and begin treating him the same way he was treated while in opposition.

He warned that the former head of State could easily lose his freedoms, including the freedom of attending church services because he had been through that himself.

He said championing the return of the former head of State was unwise as the people of Zambia did not want to take this country back to where it came from.