The message is clear: restore the PF or risk breaking the country.

‘Defy order not stand as independents’ – Dr Mwelwa advices UPND MPs
…urges all aspiring candidates on UPND ticket to ignore the moritorium for UPND members to contest seats at various levels as independents, advises them to get on the ground to campaign

By NATION REPORTER

THE recent directive by UPND secretary general Batuke Imenda, instructing aspiring candidates not to campaign in constituencies held by sitting UPND MPs, is not only undemocratic but a betrayal of the Zambian people’s right to evaluate and choose their leaders freely, Dr Lawrence Mwelwa has said.
Dr Mwelwa, a political scientist and commentator says the reality was that many of the sitting UPND MPs had failed the very people who sent them to Parliament and had lost the favour of the electorates.
“They are the same MPs who helped President Hakainde Hichilema pass draconian laws such as the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act – laws which have been weaponised to silence dissent, intimidate critics, and shrink civic space.
Today, these MPs are preparing to pass Bill 7 against the loud and clear objections of the Zambian people,” Dr Mwelwa said.
“To direct aspiring candidates to stay away from campaigning is to shield failed leadership from public scrutiny. It is an attempt to entrench the status quo and block fresh voices that could offer the nation a better path forward.
This is not democracy; it is political gatekeeping of the worst kind,” he said.
Dr Mwelwa has since urged all aspiring candidates to defy fear and take to the ground immediately.
“Engage the electorate, sell your vision for a just and prosperous Zambia, and remind them that true representation means standing with the people and not with a party elite that rubber-stamps every Bill from the Executive,” he said.
Dr Mwelwa said the 2026 general election must be about renewal and courage. He said Zambia needed Members of Parliament who will defend the Constitution, uphold the rights of citizens, and resist any legislation that undermines democracy.
“The time to present yourselves as the alternative is now and not tomorrow. No directive, however stern, can stop the will of the people from rising.
The people of Zambia deserve better and they will have better if we give them a choice,” the governance activist said.