🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Mpundu Says Opposition Will Use “Anything and Everything,” Including Lungu’s Body, to Remove UPND
Former Nkana member of Parliament Binwell Mpundu has sparked fresh political controversy after declaring that the opposition is prepared to use “anything and everything” to remove the UPND from power, including the remains of former president Edgar Lungu.
Speaking during an appearance on Prime TV, Mpundu rejected accusations that the Tonse Pamodzi Alliance and opposition figures were exploiting the late president’s death for political gain. Instead, he openly embraced the suggestion that every available political issue would form part of the opposition’s campaign against the ruling party.
“I have heard these very outrageous suggestions that we are using [Edgar Lungu’s body] to campaign. I want to tell you this on camera,” Mpundu said before delivering one of the most striking statements of the campaign season.
“We, on the opposition, we the PF Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance, we are going to use anything and everything to kick these incompetent UPND, anything and everything, including ichitumbi,” he declared.
The remarks come as the fate of former president Edgar Lungu’s remains continues to cast a long political shadow over Zambia’s election season. Lungu died in South Africa on June 5 last year and, more than a year later, his body remains unburied, a situation that has fuelled political tensions and competing narratives between the government and opposition.
For the Tonse Alliance, the unresolved burial has become both a symbol and a rallying point. Alliance leaders have repeatedly referenced the issue at campaign events, arguing that it reflects broader concerns about governance, national unity and respect for former leaders.
Mpundu’s comments are likely to intensify debate over how far political parties should go in deploying emotionally charged national issues during election campaigns. While supporters may view his remarks as political candour, critics are likely to question whether the continued politicisation of Lungu’s death risks deepening divisions at a moment when the country is heading into a closely watched general election.
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