PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata is not scared of being taken on legally or otherwise by former president Fredrick Chiluba because he has more damaging information on the former head of State.

Reacting to Dr Chiluba who at the weekend said he had decided to take on the opposition leader politically and legally because of his incessant insults, Mr Sata said that Dr Chiluba would fail because he has more damaging information about him.

But Dr Chiluba maintained he would crush Mr Sata who he claimed had lost popularity including in Northern Province where many members were leaving the PF to rejoin the MMD.

Some of the information about Dr Chiluba, Mr Sata claimed, was only availed to him during his reconciliation meeting with late president Levy Mwanawasa on May 14 2008.

"Chiluba will fail to take me on because Levy Mwanawasa left me enough ammunition when we met on May 14. Levy gave me information, which I did not know about this man and I will not let down the legacy of Levy. I have more damaging information on Chiluba and if he wants to take me on, let him attempt and I will finish him," Mr Sata said.

He said he had not insulted Dr Chiluba apart from claiming he should state where he got the US$ 8.5 million that was in the Zamtrop account and whether Zambia benefited from the $20 million arms deals.

Mr Sata said it was a known fact that Zambia paid $20 million in the arms deal but still the nation had not benefited from the deal.

"All I am asking from him is to tell us where he got the money and whether the gun deals in which we lost $20 million has benefited Zambia. We paid the money but where are the arms or at least an air gun but there is nothing up to this day. This is not insulting Dr Chiluba," Mr Sata said.

The PF leader challenged Dr Chiluba who was not rich when the MMD came into power to state where he got the money from.

He said he was ready to show Zambians the sources of his finances and similarly challenged Dr Chiluba to do the same.

Mr Sata said he was not scared of the relationship between Dr Chiluba and the MMD saying the former president had for sometime been looking for an alliance with numerous political parties including the PF.

He said when Dr Chiluba realised he could not control Dr Mwanawasa, he spearheaded the formation of the Party for Unity Development and Development (PUDD) and wanted the party to merge with the PF.

"I refused and he came and said he wanted to support the PF but he has seen that he cannot achieve what he wants and now he has gone to the MMD but I am ready for him," Mr Sata said.

Through his spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba, Dr Chiluba yesterday said he was ready to crush Mr Sata whom he described as a joker.

On the allegations of financial mismanagement, Dr Chiluba said he would not respond to Mr Sata but challenged the opposition leader to state where he got the money from for the campaigns during the 2006 and 2008 elections.

"Let him state where he got the millions of dollars that he used during the 2006 and 2008 election. I challenge him to disclose the source of the funds," Dr Chiluba said.

He said the charges by Mr Sata were an indication the opposition leader was scared of Dr Chiluba's alliance with the Government as that meant that his popularity was quickly fading away. -

Dr Chiluba also said that Mr Sata had lost popularity in Northern Province as many from the PF were leaving to rejoin the MMD after the former president threw his support behind President Rupiah Banda.

"Mr Sata has misused his own boat and we are working hard to pull people to the MMD. Many are rolling back to the MMD from his party because of his insults," Dr Chiluba said.

Dr Chiluba said from now onwards, he would be ready to take on Mr Sata both politically and legally.