By Zambia Eagle
OPPOSITION PARTIES AGREEABLE TO FEATURE EDGAR LUNGU AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND FRED MMEMBE AS RUNNING MATE UNDER PF IN 2026 TO BEAT HH, SAYS RAPHAEL NAKACHINDA
We have so far reached consensus as opposition political parties to feature former President Edgar Lungu as the Presidential candidate with Fred Mmembe as running mate under PF in 2026 elections and defeat President Hichilema, says PF’S Edgar Lungu function Secretary General Raphael Nakachinda
Speaking to some PF cadres outside the Lusaka Magistrate Court where they went to offer solidarity to Esther Lungu, Nakachinda said all formalities have since been concluded and the nation will be informed soon.
He claimed this will be a big movement that is supported by the clergy around the country to beat Hakainde Hichilema in 2026.
“I can confirm to you that all opposition parties have agreed to back the candidature of the Edgar Lungu and Fred Mmembe ticket under the PF ticket. As you may know Fred M’membe’s Socialist Party ideologies and those of the PF are basically the same. And comrade Fred Mmembe is not knew to the PF. He was part and parcel of the PF until some small misunderstandings after the demise of Michael Sata. But those differences have now been buried and have agreed to work together for the good of the country in 2026,” Nakachinda told the PF cadres.
He said they are currently working on modalities for power sharing at lower levels including the potential cabinet once they form government in 2026.
“As you know, we are many of us in this thing. We have bena Harry Kalaba, bena Sean Tembo, Kelvin Fube Bwalya (KBF), Chishala Kateka, Saboi Imboela, Chishimba Kambwili, GBM, and others. Then we have to bring all our lower organ political party structures under the PF umbrella across the country. But the goodness is that most of these leaders have all come from the PF leadership of Michael Sata so it is not a problem at all,” Nakachinda said.
Nakachinda later noticed the presence of some journalists in the group he was talking to and said he did not want to be quoted in the meantime as that would be premature because talks were still ongoing.
Nakanchinda! Wishful thinking. Even now if you add all opposition presidential votes in 2021, HH still beats all of you by 900,000 votes.
So, you can all unite against him again and he will beat all of you again by 2 million votes or more. HH is strong and solid. He has brought a proper change and Zambians love and trust him.
Of course you Nakanchinda can’t survive without Edgar Lungu. But don’t think everyone loves Edgar the way you do.
You think Mmembe will sacrifice his last change to the weak, failed and foolish Edgar Lungu? We know you’re very desperate without Lungu but you will see more very soon.
Are you sure that would be the situation today?.
Anyway the article is based on eavesdropping. Nothing to confirm.
Only a champagne-drinking socialist would join an electoral alliance with the PF.
ECL again, not my vote. Which one of you can tame ECL cadres? I expected PF to hold a convention without ECL, the winner to stand as president and Mmembe as running mate because of numbers. Good luck!
Nauseating
Desperation and greedy for power makes Fred M’membe to orchestrate evil schemes and deep anger and hatred towards president Hikainde Hichilema. On the other hand, the former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu should be ashamed of himself for coming in the open to declare interest in running for presidency. This person caused the economy to collapse by embracing lawlessness, corruption and misrule.
Let Edgar Chagwa Lungu and Fred M’emembe make an alliance a big disappointment awaits them in 2026.
For the opposition to agree to make an alliance and have M’membe as a running mate to ECL in 2026 is one thing and to convince voters to vote for these two people is another. The opposition should remember that one of the contributions to the PF’s devastating loss in 2021 was Lungu’s choice of the running mate, despite people advising him, he went ahead and picked on Prof. Luo and a big political disaster followed. This time around, you want to make the same or a worse mistake in 2026 by featuring M’membe as a running mate to ECL. It sounds good but is it a better choice than the previous one? I don’t think so, because it’s just an alliance of convenience for the purpose of defeating HH. The big question is, can the plan work out this time? In my opinion, it can’t, it may even bring a more disastrous end than the first one. To the people, may be Nkandu Luo was even a better choice than M’membe. The opposition should know that to dislodge HH is a huge mountain to climb. HH is always in touch with people both in urban and rural Zambia, few days ago he was in Bweengwa where he went to bury his late uncle, something most opposition leaders including M’membe don’t do. We all have villages where we come from but most of these villages just exist on paper or on our NRCs and in politics, that’s bad. When it comes to voting, we lose even in our own villages because people don’t know us. I don’t know about M’membe from his Mother’s village in Western Province, but for HH he is guaranteed of 100% votes in his village. Besides that, HH has done a lot of wonders with his free education, CDF and decentralization policy in general. He has given the money and vehicles to all the constituencies in the country, 156 of them, he doesn’t look at which constituency belongs to his party and which one belongs to opposition. This approach has made him to be a very good leader, he doesn’t segregate, he looks at all the people as Zambians and himself as President for all Zambians. Right now, he has just launched the construction of Chiefs’ palaces, 110 this year alone, you can how easy both for him and the MPs it will be to campaign in 2026, him will be talking about his projects and programmes whist the opposition will be talking about high standard of living and shrinking democratic space if it is shrinking at all. If through God’s grace the standard of living improves by 2026, then the opposition will be left with no campaign message. Make no mistake by thinking that banzanu bali ndwii, they are also working round the clock, strategizing on how they can improve things so that they can have another overwhelming and comfortable win in 2026.
It’s a very good strategy.
I don’t see Dr. M’membe playing second fiddle to Mr. Lungu. If this was to work out, their relationship would be stormy.
My take is that, Dr. M’membe is deliberately endearing himself to PF in anticipation of the inevitable disintegration of the same. He wants to feast on the PF carcass.
Already, he has gathered around him the likes of Antonio Mwanza and Paul Moonga former PF stalwarts, though he lost another former PF leader in Mr. Frank Bwalya.
If this story is true, then the Socialist Party is as bad as PF. For can two walk together unless they agree? We should expect more of lawlessness and Dr. M’membe’s tone seems to indicate high levels of intolerance.