CAMPAIGN SLOGANS – APITILIZE A REPLICA OF ALEBWELELAPO, LET HIM CONTINUE
Our views:
The UPND seems eyes set for the 2026 elections, to win the poll leaving nothing to chance and secure a second term.
Actually their Spokesperson who also speaks for Government this week told UPND members when he addressed the press that they have to work hard and leave no room for error to win 2026 elections.
They have come up with a campaign slogan “Apitilize” (He Should/ Must Continue). It has been translated in all the major seven spoken local languages but for the seek of this article we will use the Nyanja one, Apitilize.
The PF had one in Bemba alebwelelapo simply translated as “He is Coming Back”. These slogans are one and the same. The focus is on the individual, the President and not the party or the team. The UPND campaign is focused on Hichilema. It has been He will fix it once elected
It is individualistic. How do you build a country depending on an individual? This is why this administration and its predecessor has made people to believe.
The MMD campaign in 1990 / 91 was about this movement that became a political party. It was not about Frederick Chiluba, no. The slogan we remember was “The Hour Has Come” It had nothing about Chiluba. We believe because of the political structure that emphasize on the party, MMD ruled for 20 years.
Levy Mwanawasa came in with “The New Deal”. This good will and sympathy saw his Deputy Rupiah Banda win the 2008 presidential by-election.
In 2011, Rupiah run on “Nafuti Nafuti” (Again and Again). He lost to the Patriotic Front (PF) and Michael Sata whose party was individualistic in formation and operation but marketed as a pro-poor mass movement, nothing much to do with Sata. He was projected as a pro-poor man leading the mass movement. The slogan was “Donch Kubeba” (Don’t tell them).
Edgar Chagwa Lungu benefited from this setup and in 2015 and 2016 with the campaign not to centred on an individual. The campaign slogan was “Sontapo wabomba” (Show what you have done”, EXECELLENT slogan in our view. One must be elected based on their works and this just spoke to it.
2020 to 2021, the PF started losing it the whole programme was becoming individualistic projecting Lungu as one and the only one who could led PF. Using the imingalato in Hichilema’s words they maneuvered to make Lungu run for the third time. See how it has ended them. The Party has no guts to stop him but the Voters put a stop measure in 2021.
The PF die hards or Vuvuzelas as they call themselves coined an individualistic campaign slogan “Alebwelepo” (He is Coming Back). They further involved God saying he is the one who has chosen him, imagine? This is what power does when he gets in the People’s head.
The alebwelelapo was viewed that it carries some allogance that whether one wants it or not he is coming back. The question is who decides to either to bring back a president or let him go? Isn’t it the Voter? The Voter does and they just showed Lungu and his PF that. It ended in tears and upto now they can’t believe what hit them. That’s how powerful the Voter is.
This happened to a political party which was boasting of a massive infrastructure development never embarked in a short period of time, 10 years. This program created jobs and had money in circulation.
Amidst the alebwelelapo campaign money in hundreds of thousands of Kwacha were given as empowerment to the Entertainment influencers, the top cream artist in the name of helping them during the pandemic. The majority Voters remained hungry struggling in an economy of high cost of living. To them alebwelelapo didn’t mean anything, they waited for the ballot to speak out.
We love history because it helps us how to approach the future but it means Hakainde Hichilema and hid UPND Angles are bad Students of history. They have not learnt anything from the passed six regimes or administration’s. They have not learnt how each of them fall. They are walking in the sand path. They are drunk with power. Even things Hichilema didn’t want to do like holding party political meetings at State House he is doing it. Cutting on public resources such aa procuring big cars as he said he can nolonger remember. He has been swallowed by the system. He is now blinded can’t see reality. As Second President Frederick Chiluba once said and we quote, “I didn’t know that power is sweet.” Indeed Hichilema is experiencing what his predecessor did the sweet of power that makes you forget your promises and do exactly what you detested
So the campaign slogan for the UPND to win 2026 is “He Must Continue.” Depending on how Voters are looking at how he has faired in his first term. Has he lived upto his campaign promises? Does he even remember some of them such as reducing the price of mealie meal, fuel, fertilizer, and strengthen the exchange rate among many others.
Hichilema will be judged based on his campaign promises and achievements. He will not be judged based on who is standing against him as his Praise Singers are cheating themselves. Killing the opposition will not save him from 2026. The biggest opposition as we have states here as Zambian Eye is the majority Citizens. Those are people Hichilema will be facing. Those are people who will decide on whether as per their campaign slogan He Must Continue.
For now at least the UPND has something for people to start evaluating them in terms of their campaign slogan. A woke up call for the opposition time is running out. The Voters want messages.
Zambian Eye, 18th January 2025.