Zambia: Ex-President Edgar Lungu wants seat back

Former Zambian President Edgar Lungu has said he’s getting out of retirement and rejoining active politics. 

Lungu has since launched a bid to lead the Patriotic Front, the party which held power from 2011 until Lungu’s loss to Hakainde Hichilema in 2021.

The party is currently engaged in a leadership dispute. Lungu’s supporters accuse former Lusaka mayor Miles Sampa of grabbing the party presidency on Hichilema’s orders.

In a speech at a memorial service for late President Michael Sata, Lungu accused Presidentof using state institutions to strangle Zambia’s largest opposition party. 

Lungu also accuses the government of violating his rights. He has been stopped by the police from jogging and was also prevented from flying out of the country to seek medical attention.

In May of this year, police surrounded Lungu’s home, demanding to search it as part of a corruption probe.

Lungu hopes to capitalize on the growing disenchantment with Hichilema’s government.