By Given Mutinta
SOUTHERN PROVINCE NOMINATIONS POLITICAL VIOLENCE EXPOSES UPND REGIONALISM
The nomination window for the 2026 elections has cast a long shadow over the United Party for National Development (UPND), revealing unsettling patterns that challenge democratic principles and foster an environment of political violence.
Rather than a process of open selection, the nomination period has, in many provinces, degenerated into a display of partisan control, where loyalty to party leadership supersede the will of the electorate and the democratic right of individuals to participate freely in the political process.
The UPND, under the direction of President Hakainde Hichilema and National Youth Chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso, issued a stern directive that effectively barred party members from contesting as independent candidates if they were not officially nominated by the UPND.
This directive, a clear departure from democratic tenets that encourage a diversity of voices and choices, imposed a strict party line.
The intention was to consolidate power within the party structure, ensuring that only those who aligned perfectly with the leadership’s choices would be permitted to stand.
President Hichilema and his National Youth lieutenant’s top-down approach not only stifled internal democracy but also sent a strong message of intolerance towards any form of political dissent or independent thought within the party.
The ramifications of this directive became apparent when it was observed that individuals who had lost in the party’s internal preliminary elections were favoured for adoption over winners.
This created widespread disillusionment among UPND aspirants, leading to widespread protests against the fairness and transparency of the nomination process.
Consequently, a significant number of these disappointed aspirants chose to defy the party leadership and stand as independent candidates.
Prominent among these were Cliff Mwiinga of Bweengwa, Victor Cheelo of Monze East, Gary Nkombo of Mazabuka, and Andison Buumba Ngandu of Chikankanta.
Nkombo was the first to be pounced by the well-oiled UPND political machine in full view of the police, but he was able to file his nomination.
Cheelo was attacked and reported abducted, and he was forced to rescind his nomination in order to appease his abductors and be released, but he vowed to stand once he was free of the abductors’ grasp.
Andison Buumba Ngandu died in a road accident shortly after filing his nomination papers, in circumstances described as mysterious.
This further fueled anxieties about the safety of independent candidates.
This party sponsored campaign of violence has compelled these nominated officials to be travelling with substantial security details, often comprising armed bodyguards, as a necessary measure to deter threats and ensure their personal safety.
The pervasive fear generated by these actions created an environment where political discourse is suppressed, and freedom of expression is curtailed.
The intensity of this threat forced some independent candidates, like Mwiinga of Bweengwa, to leave the country altogether due to grave safety concerns.
Mwiinga’s decision to seek refuge abroad and await a more secure political climate before returning is a stark testament to the severity of the situation.
It demonstrates how the UPND’s pursuit of dominance has created conditions so hostile that people feel compelled to abandon their political goals in favour of regional alignment and personal safety.
The violence unleashed on its members, particularly in Southern Province, was not surprising given the province’s deeply entrenched tribal voting system, in which tribe is valued over knowledge, skill, competence, and vision, making it a particularly fertile ground for this type of political aggression.
The UPND’s aggressive tactics against its own members who dared to challenge the party’s nomination decisions sent a chilling message to all political actors, both within and outside the party, forcing some political parties not field candidates because the political environment is unsuitable for genuine democratic competition.
The UPND’s actions, illustrate a dangerous trajectory where party loyalty trumps national interests and where the pursuit of regional political dominance leads to the abandonment of fundamental democratic values.
But more dangerous is President Hichilema’s rhetoric, in which he espouses unity, while the actions taking place under his party’s watch suggest a strategy that uses division and intimidation to maintain regionally driven power, rather than fostering genuine inclusivity and democracy.