By Brian Matambo | Lusaka, Zambia

President Hakainde Hichilema told the Oasis Forum that if they object to Bill 7 they should either take the matter to court or lobby Members of Parliament not to vote for it, a blunt ultimatum delivered after cameras were switched off at State House and the media was asked to leave. The contrast between his public posture and his private message has raised new alarms about the integrity of the constitutional process and the President’s determination to push the bill through before Parliament goes on recess on 17 December.

On camera, Hichilema projected an image of openness, listening attentively as Oasis Forum Chairperson Beauty Katebe articulated the public’s concerns. Viewers across the country saw a President apparently willing to engage, dialogue, and find common ground. But according to insiders who witnessed the private meeting, the tone shifted immediately once journalists were ushered out. What followed was not negotiation, but a declaration.

The President reportedly told the Oasis Forum that he would not reconsider Bill 7, would not halt the process, and would not entertain further objections. If they “felt injured,” he said, they should take the matter to the courts. If they wanted Bill 7 stopped, they should “go and lobby their MPs.” That, according to the whistleblower, was the extent of the President’s engagement once the room was cleared of cameras.

The statement struck the delegation as a dismissal rather than consultation, particularly given the Constitutional Court’s earlier ruling that Bill 7 was illegal. By advising civil society to return to the same courts whose decision his administration has effectively ignored, the President has opened himself to accusations of operating outside the rule of law. His comment about lobbying MPs is also being read in the context of fresh allegations that some opposition lawmakers have been compromised with K3 million payouts to support the bill. The claims were first made by historian Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa and later reinforced by former Petauke MP Jay Jay Banda, who went on to name those he alleges have already received the inducements.

Hichilema’s insistence that the Oasis Forum should “go and lobby MPs” therefore raises troubling questions about whether the parliamentary process remains free from undue influence. Sources say the President is “fully committed” to bringing Bill 7 back to Parliament before recess and views the amendment as essential to his political security ahead of 2026.

Yet the bill’s legal foundation remains highly contested. The government has pressed ahead despite the Constitutional Court ruling, despite appointing a technical committee under the wrong legislation, and despite widespread public rejection from church groups, civil society bodies, and constitutional experts. Speaker Nelly Mutti has aligned firmly with the executive, adding to concern that the amendment process is being pushed through by political will rather than legal merit.

In recent days, the President has also framed opposition to Bill 7 as tribal hostility against him, claiming the church resists his reforms because of his ethnicity. The argument has been met with widespread scepticism. Analysts note that the President won the 2021 election by more than one million votes, a result that renders claims of ethnic persecution politically untenable. Critics say he is turning to tribal rhetoric to divert attention from the procedural flaws, legal violations, and public disapproval surrounding the bill.

Yesterday’s meeting at State House was meant to cool tensions. Beauty Katebe entered the room calling for constitutional clarity and urging the President to withdraw Bill 7 entirely and instead prioritise the Bill of Rights, the most pressing and long-neglected component of Zambia’s constitutional architecture. On camera, her message appeared to land. Off camera, it was reportedly swept aside.

After the meeting, Katebe announced that future talks will involve smaller teams from both sides, but gave no indication that the President had softened his stance. Instead, the sense emerging from State House is that the administration is buying time, using the extended recess to prepare the bill’s return to Parliament.

The carefully staged public image of dialogue has now collided with a much harder private reality. The country is left grappling with a President who speaks the language of consultation in front of cameras but delivers ultimatums when the press is gone.

Bill 7, once again, has become the crucible testing Zambia’s democracy. Whether the next few days bring restraint or a further erosion of constitutional norms will determine more than the fate of one amendment. It will shape the credibility of the institutions meant to protect the Republic.