ECL’s HARASSMENT DUE TO HIS ELIGIBILITY TO CONTEST 2026 POLLS-EMMANUEL MWAMBA
… As the Patriotic Front (PF) proposes amendments to the Former President Benefits Act to include Vice-Presidents as running mates elected by Zambians across the country
THE harassment of former President Edgar Lungu by the New Dawn Government is due to his eligibility to contest the 2026 presidential elections, Patriotic Front (PF) Chairperson for Information and Publicity, Emmanuel Mwamba has said.
Meanwhile, the PF has proposed an amendment to the Former Presidents Benefits Act to include Vice-Presidents as running mates who are now elected by Zambians.
Speaking when he featured on 5FM’s Hot Seat Programme, Mr Mwamba who is also PF presidential candidate, said former President Lungu was in almost identical circumstances with late former President Rupiah Banda who was subjected to harassment because he was eligible to contest the 2016 presidential elections.
“President Rupiah Banda lost elections in 2011 but he was eligible to stand in 2016, you saw the harassment that came to him not because he had done anything wrong but because there was a possibility that he could stand in 2016… that was his only crime.
“We have almost identical circumstances with former President Lungu. If he wants to stand in 2026, he can, it is not the PF’s fault, it is the law, he is eligible. That is why you are seeing all this flurry of harassment,” Mr Mwamba said.
He said Dr Lungu was qualified to contest the 2026 elections under the PF or any other political party.
Mr Mwamba said it was sad that the United Party for National Development (UPND) administration had subjected Dr Lungu and the former first family to harassment since he lost power in August 2021 and handed over to President Hakainde Hichilema.
“It is very humiliating in the manner that we treat our former Presidents. Personally, I am very sensitive about issues of former Presidents, you are aware that I worked for 10 years for former President Dr Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba who was our second President of the country.
“So, President Edgar Lungu is our only surviving former Head of State after we lost President Rupiah Banda and Dr Kenneth David Kaunda just two to three years ago. So, we must treat our Presidents with a lot of respect, he was President for seven years, I think he did his part, he contributed to the development of our country and he reserves that special place as a statesman,” Mr Mwamba said.
On calls by some ruling UPND members that Dr Lungu should refund the benefits paid to him because he is still in active politics, Mr Mwamba said Dr Lungu announced his resignation in 2021 and that nothing had changed.
“Why would he refund his benefits, why? They are being paid to him as a former President. Is he not a former President? I know there was an amendment done in 1998, the amendment was done when first President Dr Kenneth David Kaunda came back into politics, but he was still getting benefits. He became UNIP President and he became the Presidential candidate for UNIP. So, in 1997, Government decided to withhold the benefits from Dr Kaunda saying he had gone back into politics but the law was very clear that those benefits accrued to Dr Kaunda because he was a former President,” Mr Mwamba said.
And Mr Mwamba says the PF was proposing an amendment to the Former Presidents Benefit Act to include Vice-Presidents as running mates who should be taken care of after retirement.
“Now that a running mate is also elected by the people of Zambia, we have called for an amendment to the Former Presidents Benefits Act to include the Vice-President, that the Vice President must receive similar benefits as the President or the current Vice-President because now you have a Vice President who is elected across the country like the President, they go as a team. So, it is not acceptable that you should deprive the Vice Presidents of these benefits so we call for immediate amendment,” Mr Mwamba said.
He called on Minister of Justice, Mulambo Haimbe to expeditiously work towards amending the Former Presidents Benefits Act to include Vice-Presidents instead of planning illegal amendments to the constitution.
How can someone who is not even elegible be harassed?
Imaginary eligibility.
Imaginary harassment.
Stop living in cloud coo coo land. Wake up.
If Zambians vote someone into office, it will surely not be ECL. He has nothing beyond “nalitumpa” to offer Zambians.
Mwamba your illusionary harrassement is because of the former first family in court for various crimes. You’re definitely beyond. And why telling the Minister of Justice what to take to parliament to amend the law when your pf has sitting mps? What do you think you are to be giving instructions to government?
The PF forgot about retirement of vice president inonge wina. They knew she was a running mate and did nothing to secure her retirement benefits. now they want to sound cleaver by making proposals to the Presidential retirement act. Whilst it feels right and caring to make such proposals, a number of factors need to be considered ; 1. Does the country have sufficient resources to carry such a burden . We already have challenges with former presidents retirement benefits. Chiluba, Mwanawasa, Rupiah and Lungu s retirement houses are not yet built owing to economic challenges. Are we not increasing the burden. 2. We are mostly likely to have so many vice presidents as the President would change the running mate to boost chances of re election for a second term. 3. Do vice presidents really retire from active politics? What we are likely to see is a situation where a vice president , after serving would now want to run for presidency. The acrimony which this bring to our politics will be something not witnessed before. 4. A person who served as vice president and decides to run for president and wins would such a person still be entitled to the benefits of a retired vice president? Would depriving such a person those benefits be a violation of their rights? For in all purposes such a person earned those benefits when they served as vice president. 5. Such a person who served as vice president and retired as President , having been running mate and President would claim double benefits in those if vice president and President. 6 being president should not be deemed as employment but a service to one’s country. The question is does service require gratification as in retirement benefits?
Replace Rupiah with Sata above.