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Patriots for Economic Progress (PEP) leader, Sean Tembo, has threatened to take the matter of the Constitution Reforms to the Constitutional Court following the appointment of the Technical Committee by President Hakainde Hichilema.
Tembo also frowned at the appointed Technical Committee to consult citizens and draft constitutional amendments because it allegedly consists of pro-UPND members.
In an interview with Zambia Monitor, Tembo said the matter would be taken to the Constitutional Court because the process started by President Hichilema did not meet the standards that was set in the judgement of the Constitutional Court.
“For us we want to make it categorically clear that we reject from the onset the so called appointed technical committee for the constitutional review. We say so because when you look at the individuals making up that committee, these are well document UPND cadres,” Tembo said.
He claimed that the Constitutional Court was clear in its judgement in which it stated that the Technical Committee should be independent.
Tembo noted that there was no advert placed in the media requesting people to sit on the Technical Committee and key institutions such as the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) had been left out.
“We are going to approach the Constitutional Court if no one else takes up this matter and basically challenge this process that President Hakainde Hichilema has started because it does meet the constitutional standards that was set in the judgement of the Constitutional Court a few months ago,” he said.
Similary, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has cautioned against any backdoor reintroduction of Bill 7, through a technical committee that merely acts as a rubber stamp.
Party President Antonio Mwanza said the people would not accept recycled proposals that were already rejected.
“In the spirit of accountability and transparency, we demand that the President and his government immediately publish the terms of reference of this technical committee,” Mwanza said.
He stated that Zambians deserved to know the scope of work, the content under review, the procedures to be followed, the timelines to be observed, and the mechanisms through which ordinary citizens will be engaged and consulted.
Mwanza said anything short of full disclosure risked bundermining the legitimacy of the process from the very beginning.
“Zambians have already spoken loudly and clearly in their rejection of Bill 7, which they saw as a flawed and politically manipulated attempt to amend the supreme law of the land,” he emphasized.
Mwanza said the Constitution making process should therefore be people-driven, transparent, participatory and the government to clarify which budget line would finance the technical committee.
He emphasized that Zambians had a right to know how public funds would be utilized, especially at a time when the country was burdened by debt, unemployment, and economic hardships.
“While we welcome any genuine effort aimed at strengthening Zambia’s governance framework, we wish to remind the President and his administration that the Constitution is not the property of the Executive or of politicians—it belongs to the people of Zambia,” Mwanza said.
He noted that the 2025/2026 national budget contained no provision for a Constitution making process.
Mwanza reaffirmed the party’s commitment to a truly people-driven Constitution making process that reflected the aspirations of all Zambians—not the narrow interests of politicians.
“The supreme law of the land must emerge from the will of the people, for the people, and by the people,” he said.
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