Zambia Vice President on Edgar Lungu’s neck

VICE President Mutale Nalumango has challenged the former Head of State Edgar Lungu to make his political intentions clear.

Mrs Nalumango said if Mr Lungu wants to be in active politics, no one can stop him, but he needs to make his intentions clear.

In 2021, after losing presidential elections on the ticket of Patriotic Front (PF), Mr Lungu wrote a letter announcing his retirement from active politics.

Mr Lungu said he decided to stay low key and away from politics so that he could instead concentrate on charity works as he was no longer interested in politics and would not participate in any political activities in the country.

“So people have to accept that I have moved on and I have done away with politics,” he said.

However, Mr Lungu has been seen on several occasions being involved in active politics, with some of his political party members declaring that he is still their president.

Mrs Nalumango has since advised the former head of state to state his position and make it clear to Zambians.

She was responding to a question raised by Zambezi East Member of Parliament Brian Kambita who pondered that Mr Lungu has been seen taking part in politics confidently.

“You have said that the former head of state has joined the political arena? Well all we can say is that he is a Zambian, but we need to know what’s makes it different for the former head of state is that he is a former head of state. A position that is held by one person at one particular time and his title means he is still being looked after by Zambian people.”

“What the Zambian people need to know as a nation is, are we going by the rule of law? Is the former president living by the provisions of the Act and constitution? If he wants to be in politics, nobody can stop him, except we have to know, is he retired? Is he not? If he is retired, we need to hear from him. What we know is that we have a letter saying he is retired, so it is important to come out for followers to know,” she said.

Mrs Nalumango said what was being heard and read was through the media and not directly from the former head of state.

“Today I read in the media someone declaring that he is still. Let us state the facts. Zambia belongs to everyone and so be clear. You cannot be this today and that tomorrow, so if he has joined, we have not been briefed. All we hear is from the media,” she said.