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Zambia: Constitutional Court bars ex-President Lungu from 2026 polls

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The Zambian Constitutional Court has barred former President Edgar Lungu from contesting in the 2026 presidential election, in a move that has put his potential political comeback in jeopardy.

In a unanimous ruling on Tuesday issued by a seven-member panel, the Court declared Lungu ineligible to contest the 2026 elections or any subsequent ones, effectively putting an end to his presidential ambitions.

Zambia Monitor reports that the ruling centred around the interpretation of Sections 2 and 7 of the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Act, as well as the now-repealed Article 35 of the Constitution.

The court affirmed that Lungu’s two terms in office, which ran from January 25, 2015, to September 13, 2016, and from September 13, 2016, to August 2021, counted as two full presidential terms.

This interpretation, according to the Court, is in line with the constitutional provision that restricts any individual from serving more than two terms in office.

The media platform added that although the judgment bars Lungu from the 2026 presidential election, it did not “retroactively” invalidate his 2021 participation.

The Court however, clarified that the Electoral Commission of Zambia acted within its constitutional mandate by allowing Lungu on the ballot, citing a previous Constitutional Court ruling that had deemed him eligible at the time.

This distinction emphasizes the role of judicial interpretations in shaping electoral processes, as the Electoral Commission was bound by the legal framework in place during the 2021 election cycle.

According to political analysts, the ruling not only marks a pivotal moment in Lungu’s political trajectory but also raised questions about the stability and predictability of Zambia’s electoral laws.

Metro

10 persons on FBI wanted list arrested in Nigeria– FG

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The Nigerian government has confirmed that at least 10 persons who were on the wanted list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and on the watchlist of the Interpol have been arrested while attempting to sneak into Nigeria.

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who revealed this during the unveiling of the Technology Innovation Complex at the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters, Abuja on Tuesday by President Bola Tinubu, said the wanted persons were arrested after intense intelligence.

The minister said the newly-installed facility at the centre would ascertain the risk level of persons entering the country, detect irregular migration patterns, and monitor unmanned borders in hard-to-reach areas nationwide.

“In the last couple of days, there were 10 people who were on the interpol and immigration wanted list who were apprehended in one week,” Tunji-Ojo told the President.

“Before now, those people would have entered Nigeria, caused terror. But we have now told them that under the new leadership, Nigeria is a no-go area for any criminal element,” he explained.

Tunji-Ojo further stated that aside from an installed solar power plant of 0.5KWs, 250 trained officers maintain eight-hour shifts to monitor the borders round the clock.

“We decided to do an end-to-end solution. One that has an energy solution to power this facility. The 0.5KW solar power plant is 100 per cent ready here and it has been connected to the facility to power it.

“Also, the human factor is fundamental because you can build a structure, but how about the human element?

“What we’ve been able to do is to train 250 officers. As I speak, we run shifts of eight hours three times a day which is 24/7 surveillance,” he said.

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Zambia: Ex-President Lungu alleges political manipulation after barring from 2026 poll

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Former Zambian President, Edgar Lungu, has described his ban from participating in the 2026 presidential election by the Constitutional Court as political manipulation rather than constitutional principles.

Lungu who reacted to the decision of the court to bar him from future elections, described the verdict as anticipated but reflective of political interference but vowed to focus on a ‘Plan B’ strategy following the Constitutional Court judgment.

Lungu who bared his mind in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lusaka, said the verdict was anticipated but reflective of political interference.

“We find ourselves at a critical juncture in our nation’s history, a moment marked by deep reflection and, I dare say, a profound sense of our common identity and destiny. The verdict rendered today was expected,” Lungu stated.

“For months, the hands of political manipulation have, with undeniable force, steered us toward a conclusion foreseen not by the merits of reasoned argument or constitutional fidelity but by the weight of orchestrated design and political machinations.”

Lungu however, urged Zambians to revisit the sequence of events leading up to the judgment, claiming his exclusion from politics was driven by calculated political interventions.

“It began with a petition that sought to exclude me from the political arena—not through the natural verdict of the people on the ballot paper, but by the calculated intervention of political forces sponsored by political players,” he explained.

The former president also accused unnamed actors of restructuring the judiciary to achieve their objectives.

“Yes, specific judges were expelled in order to retain specific judges specifically for today’s judgment! We saw decisions cloaked in procedural justifications concocted by that same unmistakable hand of expediency.

“Of course, we all witnessed calculated judicial reshuffles by politicians for their plan to land here today.

“Democracy, my fellow citizens, is not merely a system of governance but the lifeblood of our national identity.”

Lungu also announced that a “Plan B” had been initiated and would focus on upholding the power of the people.

“Plan B will prove that no machination can extinguish the power of the Zambian people and that institutions must serve the public, not the ambitions of a few,” he emphasized.

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