Ensemble pour la République president Moise Katumbi has sent a strong message to president Felix Tshisekedi not to dare tamper with the Democratic Republic of Congo constitution or face a people’s revolt.
In a strong message posted on X Sunday in response to Tshisekedi’s message in Lubumbashi that no one will change his mind on the amendment of the constitution, Katumbi has warned that dictators always have a poor ending.
“Clearly, Félix Tshisekedi will stop at nothing to stay in power beyond his second stolen term and assumes with great pride his status as dictator,” the Katanga strongman says.
Katumbi says Tshisekedi displayed both arrogance and ignorance when making an address on Saturday, November 16 at the Place de la Poste in Lubumbashi.
The former Katanga governor says for six years, Tshisekedi ignored the concerns and priorities of the Congolese people.
“Today, the series of lies continues. He claims that in order to rule better, he must change the Constitution, which is allegedly the cause of the people’s miseries. And his astonishing statement about Article 217 of our Constitution, allegedly “concocted abroad by foreigners”, only reveals his ignorance of legal principles, the understanding of which does not even require expertise in constitutional matters,” he says.
Katumbi says Tshisekedi must not take Congolese for granted as they were not as ignorant as he was.
“To achieve his goals and perhaps believing that this will make us forget about hunger, he is engaging in an erroneous interpretation of Article 217 of our Constitution which, in its spirit and in its letter, is neither an innovation nor a particularity of our Constitution. Worse, sovereignty is not to be confused with territory,” he explains.
Katumbi says the Congolese people are mature enough not to forget their sufferings and replace them with a false panic that one would like to create by preaching a distortion of the clear constitutional terms.
“To achieve his ends, Félix Tshisekedi does not hesitate to desecrate the memory of our martyrs. Yesterday, he called on these heroes to make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives to preserve the Fundamental Law. Today, he tramples on their blood to satisfy his thirst for power.
“At this rate, a dictator risks ending up alone, chased away and abandoned, leaving behind a people in revolt,” warns Katumbi.
Indications point to Tshisekedi determined to amend the constitution so he may stay in power beyond his mandate in 2028 when the stolen second term expires.
