DID ECL ANOINT MAKEBI ZULU OR IS IT BLACKMAIL FOR LEGAL SERVICES?
Long before Makebi Zulu publicly declared his intention to contest the Patriotic Front (PF) Presidency, Ilelanga News reported that those close to him shared that he had already set his sights on the party’s top position. According to family sources, Zulu confided in relatives about his ambition and had been quietly working to win the endorsement of the late former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu before his passing.
Fresh revelations from insiders who recently returned from South Africa indicate that Zulu’s political strategy intensified after Lungu’s death. Aware of the stiff competition within the PF, Zulu is said to have concluded that his best chance of success lay in securing what could be seen as a posthumous endorsement from the former Head of State.
To strengthen his position, Zulu sought to build close relationships with influential figures within Lungu’s inner circle, including former Mines Minister and PF Member of the Central Committee Richard Musukwa, as well as Archbishop Dr. Alick Banda, who himself has faced questions and caution from the Vatican, over conducting mass for the late Edgar Chagwa Lungu, who was a non-Catholic.
Observers note that Zulu’s recent meeting with Bishop Banda shortly after returning to Zambia from South Africa was not a coincidence. Sources have said that the clergyman has advised Zulu to link his campaign narrative to Lungu’s legacy, even suggesting that “the body of ECL will only rest once Makebi becomes President.”
However, this strategy has not sat well with some PF members, who are angered by what they describe as Zulu’s exploitation of Lungu’s death for political gain. Questions are now emerging over whether Zulu genuinely earned the support of former First Lady Esther Lungu, or if he may have used his past legal services to blackmail, exert pressure, or influence.
Critics within the PF accuse Zulu of arrogance, claiming he sees himself as more intelligent and capable than all other contenders combined. Despite the growing resentment, Zulu appears confident that his calculated moves will ultimately pay off and that both PF members and the Zambian public will rally behind him.
As the PF succession battle intensifies, only time will tell whether Zulu’s strategy is rooted in genuine loyalty to Lungu’s legacy or in political manipulation disguised as devotion.
By John Mwape
Ilelanga News