Zimbabwe’s ousted Deputy President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Tuesday, asked President Robert Mugabe to respect public opinion and step down and said he would only return home when his security was assured.

“The people of Zimbabwe have spoken with one voice and it is my appeal to President Mugabe that he should take heed of this clarion call by the people of Zimbabwe to resign, so that the country can move forward and preserve his legacy,” Mnangagwa said in a statement.

Mugabe faced the threat of impeachment by his own party on Monday, after his shock insistence he still holds power in Zimbabwe despite a military takeover and a noon deadline to end his 37-year autocratic rule.

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Noon Deadline Looms For Defiant Mugabe As Zimbabwe Crisis Deepens

In a televised address late Sunday, the 93-year-old veteran leader defied expectations that he would bring the curtain down on his reign, pitching the country into a second week of political crisis.

The speech provoked anger and disbelief among crowds who had gathered in bars and cafes to watch and raised concerns that Zimbabwe could be at risk of a violent backlash.

His once-loyal ZANU-PF party — who has already sacked him and told him to resign as head of state — warned it would seek to impeach him if he fails to quit by midday (1000 GMT).