WE WOULD HAVE DEFEATED LUNGU IF THE COURT RULED HIM ELIGIBLE FOR 2026 – UPND
United Party for National Development, UPND deputy Secretary General, Gertrude Imenda, has confidently stated that the party would still have defeated former President Edgar Lungu in the 2026 general elections, even if the Constitutional Court had ruled that he was eligible to stand for the election.
The Constitutional Court today ruled that former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu was not eligible to contest the 2026 and future Presidential Elections.
Delivering the judgment which was televised live, the Court ruled that Mr Lungu had previously been elected and held office twice in 2015 to 2016, which also counts as a term and 2016 to 2021.
The court referred to sections two and seven of the 2016 Constitution Act, article 106 sub-article three and article 35 sub-articles two of the 1996 Constitution.
And speaking in an exclusive interview with Zambia Reports, Ms Imenda said that the ruling was not only in the interest of the UPND but also the citizens who are an integral part of the country.
“The whole Zambia was interested, those for, those against, and things like that, the court’s ruling did not affect the party’s chances of winning, no, we were already going to win”, she said.
Ms Imenda noted that the law’s interpretation was according to the law, and the court interpreted it in a way it should.
However, she stressed that whether the court ruled in favor of Mr Lungu or not, it wouldn’t have made a difference to the UPND.
“For us, it doesn’t make any difference whether the court was going to say he is eligible to stand or as they’ve said that he is not eligible,” she said.
She expressed confidence that even if Mr Lungu was allowed to stand, the UPND would still have defeated him due to his administration’s track record of alleged illegalities, law-breaking, violence, and economic mismanagement.
“We have something that he failed to do and we know that his rule was marked by a lot of illegalities, law breaking, violence and economic mismanagement and things like that,” she said.
She also said that the UPND has made efforts to try and rebuild, in three and a half years, what the PF destroyed in their seven year tenure.
“What they have destroyed in the seven years of his rule, is what we are rebuilding and what we have rebuild within the three and a half years so far is remarkable”, She said.
“I’m neither celebrating nor regretting. You know what’s important is that justice has been shown in the right way” she said.
She also noted that the Constitution is clear on the maximum 10-year mandate for a president, and allowing Lungu to stand would have set a dangerous precedent.
“Constitution is very clear. This person has he been elected twice? Yes. Sworn in twice, yes, so if you allow him to be eligible this time, and suppose he wins, he will have more than the 10 years maximum mandate, he will go to 12 years which is against the law, so the law says he can’t go beyond 10 years but he can serve for less, like he did,” she concluded.
Zambia Reports
Hakainde now thinks he will run unchallenged in 2026. This is what he is used to in his party.
Coronation after coronation after coronation.
Why is it that incompetent people always want to stay in the job forever?
In the meantime, corruption under his rule is record high. Tribalism is record high. The cost of living is record high, 3 times worse than he found it.
The USA, UK, NGOs, citizens (excluding most zambezi dwellers) and churches (excluding SDA) are all complaining about theft and corruption by this regime.
We need a change in 2026. Anything else will do, just not him again. I repeat, anything else will do.
Vote wisely in 2026.
Just shut up and sit down you olo so….daily noise telling us how to vote like you are our mother.
Such a nausiating fool who has nothing of substance to say, like 45 inch record on repeat.
Find something else to do in life.
Lungu will not be on the ballot. Attempt and be cited for contempt. What goes around comes around. Kukonda mupando…ni wa wiso?
In fact Lungu should be very grateful to the Concourt for having saved him from a numbing humiliation in 2026. He must dearly cherish the dignity this judgement has preserved for him and go and start farming to help feed the people he deprived of food during his misrule.
Let’s move on. We have wasted a lot of valuable time on Mr. Lungu as it is.
He is an extremely divisive figure.
Truth is, we’re dead scared of a possible Lungu return. We have failed the masses and have lost popularity. Even our human rights record has come under question. We’re not fooling anyone. No one on the street will tell you they are better off now than prior to 2021. That’s the real truth.
But the other truth is that under Mr. Lungu things would have been much worse than they are now. He keeps talking about the cost of mealie meal, yet he has no idea where mealie meal comes from.
He has no idea where mealie meal comes from? You mean HH also doesn’t know where mealie meal comes from? That’s why it’s so expensive right now?
This is the real problem in our party. We think everyone else is very dull and we are the only clever ones. Just wait! People have seen us for what we have delivered. Let’s see if our empty talk will work in 2026.
You are cheating yourselves. Truth on the ground is that Zambians don’t want Hichilema and Upnd. Still the Zambian people will kick you out in 2026. Who wants to ruled by a dictator? One hateful dictator has been kicked out in Syria. Hichilema is also following suit. And it’s very easy for him to be kicked out because we are democracy not a dictatorship. So Imenda keep dreaming but Zambians have already made up minds to kick you out. You are irritating us too much with your pomposity. Kuya bebele. Did you see anybody celebrating your so called court victory? That shows how much Hichilema and Upnd are not wanted. You cannot force to rule people in a democracy , otherwise your ending will be very bad! That’s what Imenda, you should have in your mind.