As Zambia’s political landscape heats up ahead of the 2026 elections, former President Edgar Lungu has leveled accusations against his successor, Hakainde Hichilema, claiming that the current administration is using “lawfare” to block him from running for office again. Lungu, who served as president until 2021, voiced his concerns in a televised address, alleging that Hichilema is more focused on preventing his political return than addressing the nation’s pressing challenges.
In his address, Lungu accused Hichilema of orchestrating legal and political maneuvers to exclude him from the 2026 presidential race. He claimed that instead of confronting Zambia’s economic difficulties, Hichilema is preoccupied with preventing him from challenging for the presidency. “HH must face me and desist from using cowardly and dirty political schemes to bar me,” Lungu stated, referring to Hichilema by his initials.
The former president’s accusations come ahead of a pivotal court trial concerning his eligibility to run in the next election. Lungu’s legal status has been a contentious issue ever since his defeat in the 2021 election, where Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND) secured a decisive victory over Lungu’s Patriotic Front (PF). Lungu has since claimed that he has one term left, arguing that his initial term—when he took over after the death of President Michael Sata—should not count toward the two-term limit outlined in Zambia’s constitution.
Lungu warned that Hichilema’s tactics could erode Zambia’s democratic foundations, accusing him of undermining the judiciary to secure his position. “The recent events where professionals, including constitutional court judges, have been removed and punished for doing their professional jobs, mark a very sad turn of events. These developments undermine the rule of law and democracy in our land,” Lungu said, referring to recent suspensions within the judiciary that he believes are part of a broader plan to weaken the legal system ahead of his trial.
In his speech, Lungu also criticized the economic state of the country under Hichilema’s leadership. He pointed to widespread issues such as load shedding, rising poverty, unemployment, and inflation as evidence of the current administration’s failure. “The challenge is to put back the prices where he found them if he can’t reduce them,” he said, drawing a comparison between his time in office and Zambia’s current economic struggles.
Lungu’s Patriotic Front was previously accused of legal overreach during his time in office, but now he alleges that the same tactics are being used against him. His eligibility to run in 2026 has become a lightning rod in Zambian politics, with opponents petitioning the courts to block his candidacy, a move Lungu believes is being directed by the state. “It is now common knowledge that the petitioners are surrogates of the state house,” he claimed, characterizing the legal challenges as part of a broader campaign to eliminate him from the political scene.
The former president’s comments come on the heels of another legal setback for his family. Just a week before his address, the Economic and Financial Crimes Court seized 15 luxury properties belonging to Lungu’s wife, which were deemed to be proceeds of crime. While Lungu did not address the case directly, the timing of his speech has fueled speculation that the former first family’s legal troubles are part of the political strategy he claims is aimed at keeping him from running in 2026.
With the full trial over Lungu’s eligibility set to begin on Thursday, Zambia faces a period of heightened political tension. Lungu’s allegations of lawfare, combined with the broader concerns about the country’s economic trajectory, suggest that the road to the 2026 elections will be fraught with legal and political battles that could shape the nation’s future.
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