M’membe, Lubinda Slam Flawed Census and Voter Data”

The storm surrounding Zambia’s 2022 Census has exploded into a political crisis, with two prominent opposition leaders Socialist Party President Fred M’membe and Patriotic Front Acting President Given Lubinda fiercely condemning what they call a dangerous manipulation of both population data and voter registration records.

Their scathing remarks have laid bare the deep cracks in the country’s democratic foundation.

Speaking during a joint press briefing by opposition political parties, civil societies and faith based organisations  Fred M’membe did not mince his words, accusing the Zambia Statistics Agency (ZAMSTATS) of betraying the public trust by releasing what he called a “deeply flawed” revised census summary.

M’membe, stated that consequences of such statistical deceit extend far beyond elections. He warned that inaccurate data leads to unfair resource allocation, allowing certain regions to be overfunded while others are deliberately starved.

“This is not just about rigging elections it’s about rigging the entire system. When you inflate figures, you misallocate resources and punish the very people who need help the most,” he said, drawing a chilling link between flawed statistics and rising inequality.

In a brutal critique of the government’s handling of the matter, M’membe cautioned that the erosion of public trust in statistical data could trigger civil unrest.

He pointed to both Zambia’s own history and neighboring countries’ experiences, noting that when people stop believing in the fairness of elections, chaos is never far behind. “We are playing with fire,” he warned. “Without transparency, democracy becomes a dangerous illusion.”

Given Lubinda, taking an even more direct approach, dropped a political bombshell: in 15 districts, the number of registered voters exceeded the total population. “How is it possible that more people voted than actually live in these areas?”

Lubinda demanded, his voice rising with disbelief. He described the revelation as “damning evidence” of electoral fraud, calling into question the legitimacy of the most recent election results.

Lubinda didn’t stop there. He pointed to widely circulated videos showing chaotic scenes at polling stations, including allegations of people being physically stuck inside ballot boxes.

“This is not democracy this is daylight robbery of the people’s will,” he said, accusing the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) of either gross incompetence or deliberate collusion.

The Patriotic Front leader argued that these discrepancies were no coincidence but part of a well-orchestrated scheme to rig the electoral process. “We are witnessing the systematic theft of our democracy,” Lubinda stated. “The numbers don’t lie but those in power do.”

Both M’membe and Lubinda have called for immediate action. M’membe is demanding an independent audit of the census data and voter registration rolls, warning that without a full investigation, the nation risks further democratic backsliding.

Lubinda echoed this call, insisting that any government unwilling to address these glaring irregularities is, by default, complicit in the fraud.

The silence from key government officials, including Finance Minister Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane and Labour Minister Brenda Tamba Tamba who jointly launched the revised census report has only deepened public suspicion.