Mundubile Turns Campaign into Lungu Tribute as Opposition Struggles for a National Message

🇿🇲 BRIEFING | Mundubile Turns Campaign into Lungu Tribute as Opposition Struggles for a National Message

Presidential candidate Brian Mundubile has signalled that his 2026 campaign under the Tonse Alliance will revolve heavily around the unresolved burial and political legacy of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu, underscoring how deeply the opposition’s electoral narrative has become tied to what critics now describe as “body politics.”

Moments after filing nominations alongside running mate Makebi Zulu, Mundubile gathered supporters and declared that the campaign would be dedicated to Lungu, whose remains have now spent nearly a year in South Africa amid legal disputes between the family and the Zambian government.

“We were tutored by him, we were guided by him, we were mentored by him. We will therefore dedicate this campaign to Edgar Chagwa Lungu as we go round the country,” Mundubile told supporters, framing the election not merely as a political contest but as a continuation of Lungu’s unfinished struggle.

The messaging is politically revealing.

At a moment when Zambians are waiting to hear competing visions on the economy, energy, jobs, debt, agriculture, and cost of living, a major opposition campaign appears to be anchoring itself around mourning, grievance, and symbolism. The implication is difficult to ignore: the opposition still lacks a unifying forward-looking message capable of transcending the emotional weight of Lungu’s death.

The strategy may energise sections of the PF-aligned base, particularly across parts of the green belt, the former ruling party’s traditional strongholds in the northern corridor, Luapula, Muchinga, and sections of Eastern Province; where sympathy for the late former president remains politically potent.

But whether grief can substitute for governance messaging in a national election remains uncertain.

Makebi Zulu, who simultaneously serves as Lungu family spokesperson and vice-presidential running mate, reinforced the alliance’s mobilisation tone, calling on opposition figures such as Harry Kalaba and Kelvin Fube Bwalya to “put aside their egos” and unite behind the camp. The appeal reflects a broader opposition reality: fragmentation remains its greatest structural weakness

Ironically, even as the opposition speaks the language of unity, the presidential ballot continues to expand. More candidates are expected to contest the presidency, with multiple alliances, factions, and parallel opposition centres emerging simultaneously.

© The People’s Brief | Mwape Nthegwa