Lungu’s Comeback: The Political Nightmare Haunting President Hichilema
By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma
Former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu continues to loom large over Zambia’s political landscape not by holding office but by commanding the respect and loyalty of millions. That presence alone has become a nightmare for President Hakainde Hichilema. Once hailed as a beacon of democracy, President Hichilema now clings to power through fear, manipulation, and desperate schemes. His latest move involves using the Constitutional Court to block Edgar Lungu from contesting the 2026 General Elections.
Let us call it what it is: fear, not law. Insecurity, not leadership.
Despite these cowardly attempts, the people remain unshaken. In markets, villages, churches, and on the streets, one word continues to echo louder than any court ruling: Alebwelelapo — he will return. That phrase, more than any opposition party or legal argument, is what truly haunts President Hichilema.
Weaponizing the Constitution to Erase a Rival
This is not about constitutional clarity; it is about political elimination. A leader who believes in his record does not run from a challenge; he meets it head-on. But President Hichilema knows that in a fair fight, Edgar Lungu would bury him politically. Instead of focusing on fixing the economy, creating jobs, or lowering the cost of living, he has twisted the Constitution to silence the one voice he cannot drown out.
This is not democracy; it is dictatorship disguised as law.
Manipulation, Intimidation, and Cheap Tricks
Even after the Constitutional Court ruling, President Hichilema remains insecure as people continue to chant “Alebwelelapo.” Out of desperation, he and his inner circle shifted gears. They went as far as using UPND surrogates like President Nevers Mumba and Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha. These two emerged from the shadows, pretending to offer friendly advice for former President Lungu to retire from active politics. But Zambians are no longer blind. They see the puppets and they know the puppet master.
The desperation did not end there. Reports surfaced that President Hichilema even traveled to South Africa not for diplomacy but to confront President Lungu during a medical review. The offer was to drop his political ambitions and become a statesman, and in return, the bogus charges against his wife and children would be dropped. That is not leadership; that is blackmail.
The Chemotherapy Lie
Still failing to derail him, the UPND resorted to character assassination. Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana took to the airwaves, spreading the falsehood that former President Lungu was undergoing chemotherapy and needed rest. He claimed he had a phone conversation with him while both were in South Africa for medical checkups — a claim President Lungu strongly denied.
Kawana’s actions amounted to yet another calculated smear campaign designed to mislead the public and please his master, President Hichilema. However, this too backfired as people questioned on what grounds Kawana was discussing the former head of state’s private health condition during a press briefing.
Systematic Attacks and Injustice
The UPND government has taken various steps to undermine President Lungu from blocking him from standing in the 2026 General Elections through a flawed Constitutional Court judgment to destabilizing the internal operations of the Patriotic Front party. This includes changing the names of office bearers at the Registrar of Societies to those of UPND surrogate Chabinga and imprisoning PF Members of Parliament on fabricated, trumped-up charges.
Yet none of this has weakened President Lungu. Instead, it has reignited the spirit of the people. In the face of injustice, lies, and relentless political plots, the people have grown more united and resolute. Zambians remember the stability, peace, and leadership that Edgar Lungu once offered and they clearly see the injustice being inflicted upon him.
On social media, disturbing videos of UPND cadres have emerged. In one of the most disgraceful displays of lawlessness, UPND youths from North-Western Province openly issued death threats against former President Lungu, promising to deal with him violently if he dared to challenge President Hichilema. Their threats included:
“We will teach him a lesson that will make him remember the day his mother cried giving birth to him.”
“That idiot should watch his steps.”
Calls for violence, including demands that he be circumcised as a form of humiliation.
Explicit threats of slaughter, promising to kill him if he returns to active politics.
This is not political rhetoric; it is criminal incitement. Yet the UPND-controlled police force watched silently, doing nothing because it fit their agenda.
Obsession, Not Governance
The truth is painful for President Hichilema, but it must be heard. His government is obsessed with one man. Every whisper of Lungu’s name sends his administration into a frenzy of insults, threats, and propaganda. They fear him. They attack him. They stalk his family. All of this is done to satisfy the fragile ego of a man who knows he cannot compete.
This is not governance; it is a full-blown obsession.
Edgar Lungu is the one opponent President Hichilema cannot outmaneuver, cannot intimidate, and cannot outshine. That is why every arm of government has been weaponized to destroy him because removing him from the race is President Hichilema’s only shot at survival.
But will this help him? Not at all. For as long as President Edgar Lungu is around, President Hichilema will face the rude shock of his life. Even if Lungu is blocked, the “Alebwelelapo” slogan will continue to echo in the minds and hearts of the people. Whoever Lungu endorses in 2026 will carry that torch. Alebwelelapo will be fulfilled.
A Final Word to President Hichilema
Mr. President, you were elected to lead, not to eliminate rivals. You were chosen to build, not to destroy. And you were entrusted to uphold democracy, not to suffocate it.
You fear Edgar Lungu because you see what the people see: a leader who never truly left and one who could return stronger than ever. But here is the truth: no amount of court rulings, lies, or threats can silence the will of the people.
So go ahead, keep using the courts. Keep sending your messengers. Keep spinning lies.
But just know this: every time you try to erase Edgar Lungu, the people rise louder with one voice —
ALEBWELAPO.
And that, Mr. President, is what truly keeps you up at night.