Petauke Defeat Exposes UPND’s Failures – Sean Tembo

The United Party for National Development (UPND) is in full-blown crisis mode after suffering a humiliating defeat in the Petauke Central parliamentary by-election, with the ruling party scrambling to cover up its failures by dissolving its Eastern Province structures. But opposition leader Sean Tembo has dismissed this move as nothing more than a desperate attempt to shift blame from the party’s deeper governance failures.

“The UPND wants to pretend that their loss in Petauke was caused by disorganized structures in Eastern Province, but that’s a lie. The real reason they lost is that the Zambian people have realized that the UPND government is a scam,” Tembo said in a fiery statement on Monday. “They promised prosperity, yet the only people prospering are UPND officials and their friends, while the ordinary Zambian is drowning in poverty.”

Tembo, who serves as the spokesperson for the opposition Tonse Alliance, did not mince his words as he accused the UPND of running the economy into the ground. “When Hakainde Hichilema took office in 2021, Zambia’s foreign debt stood at $11 billion. Today, it has ballooned to $14.8 billion, yet we have nothing to show for it. Our domestic debt has exploded from K89 billion to K248 billion, and inflation is punishing Zambians daily,” he charged.

He also took aim at the government’s selective approach to justice, accusing the police and judiciary of being weaponized against opposition figures. “We have seen Chishimba Kambwili and ‘Why Me’ thrown into prison while UPND loyalists like Batuke Imenda and Douglas Siakalima are untouchable. The law is now applied based on where you come from, not on the basis of justice,” Tembo fumed.

On the fight against corruption, Tembo accused the UPND of being worse than their predecessors. “Where is the K64 million that was recovered from Faith Musonda? Gone, just like that. Today, we have newly registered companies winning multi-million kwacha government tenders overnight. We have taxpayers’ money being looted through fraudulent consent judgments by the Attorney General’s office. This is not a government fighting corruption—this is a government perfecting corruption.”

The Tonse Alliance leader also accused President Hichilema of betraying his promise to unite the country, instead deepening ethnic divisions through biased government appointments. “More than 90 percent of senior jobs in government and parastatals are given to people from the President’s region. Meanwhile, opposition supporters are abducted and arrested by what we now call the ‘Zambezi Squad’ in the police. They are then dragged before Zambezi magistrates and judges who convict them without evidence. This is not unity—this is systematic oppression,” he charged.

Tembo further slammed Hichilema’s economic policies, accusing him of favoring foreign interests at the expense of Zambians. “Every year, Zambians are overtaxed while foreign-owned mining companies get tax holidays. And yet, the president is constantly flying around the world pretending to be a champion of democracy. Meanwhile, press freedom is being stifled at home, opposition rallies are blocked, and activists are jailed,” he said.

According to Tembo, the Petauke by-election was not just a loss but a signal of what is to come. “Zambians are tired of empty speeches and polished lies. They want results, and if UPND cannot deliver, they will be thrown out just like the previous failed governments of 1991, 2011, and 2021,” he said. “Petauke is just the beginning of the downfall. Come August 13, 2026, UPND will be removed from power, and the people of Zambia will correct their mistake.”

With the opposition sharpening its knives and public frustration mounting over the government’s failures, the UPND faces an uphill battle to convince Zambians that it still deserves to govern. But if Petauke is any indication, their grip on power is slipping fast.

February 11, 2025
©️ KUMWESU