Bemba president and Eastern running mate!

By Daily Revelation Editor

An audio recently went viral where former PF secretary general Mumbi Phiri was heard saying that if the PF adopted a Bemba presidential candidate and a running mate from Eastern Province, or vice-versa, the opposition would win the 2026 general elections.

We can’t really put a finger on what really motivated Mumbi to say what she said. What we know is that she was responding to something that someone had submitted in the same WhatsApp group where they are both members.

In the audio, Mumbi said if the PF adopted a Bemba president and someone from Eastern Province as running mate, or vice-versa they were going to win.

We just don’t understand what gives Mumbi the certainty that the combination she is proposing for the presidential ticket would succeed, particularly that the PF had the same combination in the 2021 general elections which did not workout. In the 2021 elections, the PF had then incumbent Edgar Lungu for president and Nkandu Luo, a Bemba as running mate, but they still lost overwhelmingly to the UPND.

We understand the problems this country has been going through in terms of regional voting, and that will definitely need to be resolved if the nation is to see progress. This could probably be pushing some to think regionally. However, you don’t address regionalism with regionalism. You address regionalism with much more nationalism and patriotism.

We believe that any ticket that can be chosen is capable of succeeding if that ticket has the right appeal and message, which the masses would be able to buy into.

This country has had presidents that have been elected from across the country. We always believe that Zambians have always treasured their One Zambia One Nation Motto, despite the appetite by politicians to divide this country on regional lines.

Just using President Hakainde Hichilema as the perfect example. Because Zambians are wise enough and always focussed on the One Nation Motto, Hichilema would not have won the last elections if people focussed on voting regionally. But Zambians on election day decided that their interests went beyond tribe, and as a result Hichilema won votes not only in his traditional strongholds of Southern, Western, North-Western and parts of Central Province, but won significant votes across all the provinces of the country.

Even Michael Sata, he wouldn’t have won the 2011 general elections with only significant votes from his traditional strongholds of Northern, Luapula, Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces, as he needed good votes from especially Western Province to push him above the top.

These examples go to indicate that selling region and tribe to Zambians is not always the best idea as the citizens make decisions that they feel are in the best interest of the country. We should never allow the politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties to divide this country along regional lines.