By Julius Phiri, Zambia
The dust of the ballot boxes had barely settled when Ambassador Evans Kazonga Ng’oma stepped forward with a message that was less about winners and losers, and more about what comes next.
On Saturday, days after the Electoral Commission of Zambia declared President Hakainde Hichilema the winner of the August 13, 2026 general elections, the Founder and CEO of the BuyZed Campaign called on Zambians to put down the political banners and pick up the work of nation-building.
“Elections must have a beginning and an end,” Ng’oma said from Lundazi. “When citizens have voted and institutions have performed their constitutional responsibilities, those who have been elected must get down to work.”
A Mandate to Unite, Not Divide
For BuyZed, the UPND’s victory was not just a political outcome. It was a responsibility.
Ng’oma congratulated President Hichilema and the ruling party, but quickly pivoted to what he called “an even greater responsibility”: governing for every Zambian.
“The President must now be President of every Zambian — whether they voted for UPND, the opposition or any other political party,” he said.
He urged the administration to shift focus from campaign rhetoric to kitchen-table issues: jobs, agriculture, local industry, cost of living, infrastructure, and economic opportunity.
With the same breath, he addressed the opposition. Political parties that lost must not disappear, he argued. They must become “a strong but responsible opposition” — one that challenges policy, but backs decisions that serve the national interest.
Praising Maturity, Warning Against Militancy
In a political season marked by fierce competition, BuyZed singled out one gesture for praise: NRPUP President Ezra Tembo’s decision to accept the ECZ results and congratulate the President-elect.
“This is the type of political maturity that Zambia needs,” Ng’oma said.
But the tone turned serious as he addressed allegations that have surfaced since the polls.
Authorities in Lusaka reportedly recovered military-grade weapons in a security operation, with claims of links to opposition figures.
Opposition leaders have denied the allegations.
Ng’oma called for professional, impartial investigations. “If investigations establish that there was indeed an organised militia structure associated with political actors... that would represent an extremely serious threat to the Republic,” he warned.
His message was blunt: “Political competition must never be militarised. Zambia’s political battles must be fought through ideas, policies and the ballot box — not guns, ammunition or organised violence.”
He was also careful to add the principle of due process: “There must be no selective justice. There must be no political persecution... Let the evidence speak, and let the law take its course.”
BuyZed acknowledged that other actors, including presidential candidate Brian Mundubile and the Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance, plan to pursue concerns through legal channels. Ng’oma said that was their democratic right — so long as it stays in the courts, not the streets.
The Danger of the Digital Megaphone
Beyond weapons, Ng’oma warned of another threat to peace: misinformation.
“Words have consequences,” he said. “Strong propaganda, misinformation and disinformation have the potential to turn political disagreement into hatred and hatred into violence.”
He urged both sides to be responsible. The opposition has a right to criticize and question. Government must avoid propaganda that demonizes opponents. “Rumours must not be presented as facts. Allegations must not be presented as established truth,” he said.
"Zambia is Permanent"
At the heart of BuyZed’s message was a reminder of what outlasts any election cycle.
“Political competition is temporary. Zambia is permanent,” Ng’oma said. “No political party owns Zambia. No politician is bigger than Zambia. And no election result is worth destroying the peace that generations of Zambians have worked so hard to preserve.”
He called on traditional leaders, churches, civil society, the media and ordinary citizens to guard that peace. He urged newly elected MPs, mayors, council chairpersons and councillors to return to their communities immediately.
“An election should determine who governs Zambia; it should never determine whether Zambia remains peaceful,” he said.
He closed with the words that have defined Zambia through decades of political change: “One Zambia, One Nation.”
