Ezra Tembo faces lawsuit for surrendering PR seats to UPND

By BARNABAS ZULU THE Tonse Pamodzi Alliance says it is considering taking legal action against NRPUP leader Ezra Tembo for surrendering Resolute Party (RP) proportional representation seats to the United Party for National Development (UPND). Tonse Pamodzi Alliance secretary general Muhabi Lungu disclosed in an interview yesterday that the alliance would ask its lawyer to examine the matter and advise on possible legal action. “I am studying the situation. I will get our lawyer to study the situation, and clearly that will be one of the options. One of the options will be to take legal action because this is ridiculous. I mean, this is completely and totally ridiculous,” Mr Lungu said. Mr Lungu said the RP was considering its next course of action and expected to provide further clarity on its position by the end of the week. Meanwhile, New Heritage Party leader Chishala Kateka has expressed concern over Mr Tembo’s conduct, accusing him of being a traitor and saying the UPND was taking advantage of him because he was a weak link in the opposition. However, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has dismissed allegations that it manipulated the allocation of proportional representation seats in favour of the UPND. Recently, ECZ chief electoral officer Brown Kasaro said the redistribution of the seats followed the law and was not an act of political favouritism but admitted that a number of PR seats for the opposition were given to the UPND. Mr Kasaro said the Electoral Process (Amendment) Act No. 12 of 2026 required qualifying political parties to submit their lists of nominees within seven days of being allocated proportional representation seats. He said the law provided that any seat left vacant because a political party failed to submit its list within the prescribed period must be redistributed to another qualifying political party. Mr Kasaro said the NRPUP was aware of the number of seats allocated to it but submitted fewer names than required and that the ECZ decided to allocate the opposition seats to the UPND.

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