Respect ConCourt ruling on Bill 7, Changala tells HH

By BARNABAS ZULU

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema should completely abandon Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 7 because it was a ‘brought in dead’ piece of legislation that has rightly been halted by the Constitutional Court.
The Constitutional Court on Friday ordered that Bill 7 should immediately be halted and that Government to comply with the spirit of the Constitution by ensuring that any constitutional amendment process is people-driven and led by an independent body of experts, following wide consultations.
“The contestation of multiple constituencies created without the people’s expressed wishes is a recipe for the kind of confusion and chaos we are duty bound to guard against. More so given the proximity to the 2026 elections,” the Constitutional Court said in its ruling.
And in an interview, Mr Changala said President Hichilema must humble himself and accept the reality that his Bill 7 had no legal or popular foundation and should not be reintroduced in any form.
“This Bill 7 was dead on arrival. It was a brought-in-dead piece of legislation that has been widely rejected,” Mr Changala said. “The Constitutional Court has now confirmed what many of us have been saying all along. This Bill violated several provisions of the Republican Constitution and must not be resurrected.”
He said the Constitutional Court had offered clear and binding guidance on the matter and there should be no attempt by the UPND to continue with a proposed legislation that had been condemned and rejected.
“The court has made it abundantly clear: the Bill must be withdrawn from the National Assembly. The UPND must not attempt to go ahead with this process. They have been directed to constitute an independent body to carry out genuine and broad-based consultations. That is the only lawful way forward.”
Mr Changala expressed disappointment that President Hichilema, who has often touted his respect for the rule of law, had found himself on the wrong side of the Constitution.
“When the President met the church and civil society, he said that ever since coming into power, he has been reading the Constitution to ensure that he does not make mistakes,” he said. “But now we are shocked that the same man who claims to be reading the Constitution has actually ended up breaching it,” Mr Changala said.
He stressed that constitutional reforms should be done in an inclusive, transparent and lawful manner.
“The Constitutional Court has rightly stated that the process must be consultative. It must be halted for now until all necessary procedures are followed,” Mr Changala said. “Therefore, I appeal to the President to respect and accept the Court’s judgement. He must not merely defer the Bill in Parliament – he must totally withdraw it. That way, he will be acting within the parameters of the Constitution.”
Mr Changala also urged Mr Hichilema to avoid unilateralism and surround himself with competent legal advisors.
“The President must not work in isolation. He has a team. He has the Attorney General. He has his senior private secretary Bradford Machila, who is a lawyer,” Mr Changala said. “He also has people like Justice Minister Jack Mwiimbu who can offer sound legal advice. My advice to him is simple: don’t do things at the whims of power. Let the law guide you.”
He warned that any attempt to revive the rejected Bill, despite the Constitutional Court’s ruling, would further damage public trust and deepen the country’s governance crisis.
“This country has suffered enough abuse of the Constitution in the past. We cannot allow that to continue under a President who came into power promising transparency, accountability and constitutionalism,” Mr Changala said.
“This is not just about Bill No. 7. It is about protecting Zambia’s democracy and the integrity of the rule of law,” Mr Changala said. “If the President listens and does the right thing, he still has time to redeem this process.”