🇿🇲 BRIEFING | “Church Politics” as PeP Incurs 4 million Loss in Failed Nominations
What began as a routine nomination exercise at Mulungushi International Conference Centre descended into political confusion and disbelief after Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) leaders Sean Tembo and Chanda Katotobwe claimed their political party had mysteriously been transformed into a church organisation.
The duo say they spent nearly K4 million on nomination-related expenses, only to discover during the filing process that official records at the Registrar of Societies no longer described PeP as a political party, but as an entity involved in “Ministry and Preaching.”
“The alterations to our party records were discovered during the filing in process of our Presidential Nomination,” the pair said in a joint statement, describing the development as shocking and disruptive.
According to Chanda na Tembo, the irregularities extended beyond the party’s legal status. They allege that office bearers had been changed and unfamiliar names inserted into key positions, including secretary general. In one of the more bizarre claims, the pair said one of the individuals appearing in the party records was allegedly deceased.
The two politicians say they immediately rushed to the Registrar of Societies seeking clarification, where they were allegedly informed that the changes had been made online from an internet café by an unknown individual identified as “Prince Care.”
The fallout effectively blocked the duo from filing presidential nomination papers, despite arriving at the nomination centre after weeks of mobilisation and expenditure. They further claim the confusion affected hundreds of aspiring PeP parliamentary, mayoral, and council candidates across the country.
The incident now raises broader questions about the integrity and security of party registration systems during an election period already marked by legal battles, factional disputes, and administrative controversies
For Sean Tembo in particular, the development is politically symbolic. Over the years, he has remained one of Zambia’s most persistent opposition figures, consistently appearing on ballots despite limited electoral success. This time, however, the obstacle was not voter support, but the apparent disappearance of his party’s political identity itself.
The pair have since appealed to Hakainde Hichilema and the Electoral Commission of Zambia to intervene and restore the party’s records.
Ironically, while Chanda na Tembo battled to prove PeP was still a political party, President Hichilema arrived later in the day to become the final presidential candidate to successfully file nominations before the process officially closed.
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