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Democratic Union (DU) party president, Ackim Njobvu, has accused the government of rushing the constitutional amendment process without adequately consulting Zambians, who he said were the main stakeholders.
Njobvu also questioned the government’s failure to disclose which 55 constituencies it intended to delineate, as referenced in the recently published Constitution (Amendment) Bill.
In an interview with Zambia Monitor in Lusaka on Monday, he challenged the government to state the budget for the entire process and disclose where the funding would come from, noting that no provisions were made in the 2025 national budget.
“This is an afterthought by the UPND. There are more pressing issues the government should focus on, like the health sector, where $50 million in aid was recently withdrawn by the American government,” Njobvu said.
He urged the government to prioritize urgent health sector needs over constitutional reforms, stressing the importance of addressing citizens’ immediate concerns.
Njobvu reiterated that his party was opposed to the current process, insisting that any constitutional review should be conducted through a referendum to allow for broader citizen participation, especially from the youth who played a major role in the 2021 elections.
“We believe in a referendum that gives ordinary Zambians a voice—unlike the rushed process we are witnessing,” he said.
He also proposed that the process should consider limiting the number of terms that Members of Parliament can serve, and suggested the need for clear alternative arrangements when an MP resigns or is unable to serve.
Meanwhile, former Kasenengwa Member of Parliament, Sensio Banda, described the Constitution Amendment Bill introduced by the UPND government as a “poisoned cherry”—appealing on the surface, but dangerous at its core.
Banda said the Bill was being sold to the public as a progressive measure promising proportional representation for women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
However, he warned that the underlying intentions were politically motivated.
“The truth is far from this sugar-coated narrative. These proposed changes are not people-driven. They lack transparency and are rooted in partisan interests aimed at consolidating power,” he said.
Banda further argued that the claim that constitutional changes were needed for constituency delimitation was misleading.
He pointed out that Articles 58 and 59 of the current Constitution already empowered the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to create new constituencies and wards without the need for constitutional amendments.
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“Senga Hill, Kasenengwa, Chipangali, and Mafinga were all created under the existing law. This shows the Constitution is functional and doesn’t require changes for ECZ to do its job,” Banda said.
He urged citizens to reject the Bill, asserting that the Constitution was a national document, not a political tool.
“Unless the process is inclusive, transparent, and genuinely people-driven, even good intentions will amount to nothing. What the UPND presents as reform is actually a partisan manoeuvre wrapped in sweet-sounding promises. Citizens must say no to this poisoned cherry,” Banda said.
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