Three UPND Members of Parliament on Tuesday conspicuously disappeared with no trace hours before Parliament could resume debating the controversial Bill 10 motion.
Lufwanyama MP Leonard Fungulwe and his Mpongwe counterpart Rasfold Bulaya including Kapiri Mposhi MP Stanley kakubo sent the UPND in panic mood as they failed to turn up in the House.
Efforts by Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Jack Mwiimbu to reach the trio proved futile as their mobile phones went unanswered.
Sources at Parliament revealed that the three UPND MPs had decided to abandon the position taken by their party on Bill 10 and planned to enter the House just before voting for the Bill.
When the UPND got wind of the plan, Mazabuka Central MP Garry Nkombo raised an urgent Point of Order requesting the Speaker to make a ruling on whether the Bill 10 debate should proceed when there is a High Court case filed by Former Commerce Minister Dipak Patel challenging the constitutionality of Minister of Finance continued contraction of loans without consulting Parliament.
Mr Nkombo had referred Speaker Patrick Matibini to the matter in which he ruled that Parliament could not hear the impeachment motion against President Edgar Lungu because the matter was before the courts of law.
He challenged Dr Matibini to rule on whether it was in order for Parliament to go ahead and debate the Bill which deals with an Article which is a subject of a court petition in the High Court.
The Point of Order forced Parliament to adjourn abruptly as Speaker Matibini requested for more time to study the Point of Order.
By time of publishing, Parliament stood adjourned from around 14:40.