Africa-Press – Zambia. Dr Chris Zumani Zimba & ECL Movement is a learned political scientist and researcher. He first appeared on the political scene with his satirical political articles mainly criticizing President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s PF government on political violence and corruption after the 2016 general elections. In his articles, he warned President Lungu that his loss in 2021 to HH would be like Armageddon if certain things were not change.
Little did Dr Zumani know that President Lungu was following his articles. In October 2019, Zumani was engaged by the PF as a consultant to present a well researched study on the political landscape then and the possibilities of PF returning power in 2021.
According to him, the presentation was held at Statehouse chaired by President Lungu, attended by the then Vice President Mama Inonge Wina, then Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo, Nkandu Luo, Given Lubinda and other PF Members of the Central Committee (MCCs).
In that meeting, Zumani told these leaders including president Lungu that according to his well researched SWOT analysis, weaknesses and threats overweighed strengths, hence, if elections were to be held between 2019 and 2021 ECL would lose to HH, unless certain things were worked on.
After hearing this, some MCC members in attendance were fuming against the young consultant for challenging a sitting president in such a manner.
What shocked Zumani was, after a few months, he received an appointment letter from the man he had criticized and told was losing the coming election to his rival. ECL in confidence told Zumani that he called him because he was the only person that told him the truth and wanted him to help salvage PF.
Dr Zumani has so far challenged PF MCCs who attended his presentation at Statehouse to refute his claim.
Unfortunately, the PF party and president Edgar Chagwa Lungu lost the 2021 elections to now president Hakainde Hichilema.
PF members especially those that never agreed with his appointment as president Lungu political advisor, have been up in arms accusing Zumani of having caused the loss of the 2021 elections.
The truth however, remains, PF started sinking immediately after the death of president Michael Chilufya Sata. After the 2015 controversial convention, PF was never united. Key figures like Guy Scot and Silvia Masebo went to join UPND, Miles Sampa formed his own political party and entered into an alliancewith HH, later GBM also left to join UPND where he became Vice president administration, Kambwili also left and formed his own party called NDC, he too joined hands with HH to dismantle PF. If you think these heavyweights were punching in the air and not feasting on PF flesh to the advantage of UPND think twice.
By 2020 when Dr. Zumani joined Statehouse as political advisor to president Lungu, caderism under PF was at it’s peak. Actually, Zumani became an enemy to most PF cadres and leaders who were beneficiaries of caderism. Remember Zumani replaced a well known cadre political advisor. He came in with a different style of doing things to try and clean the name of ECL which was already dented by the scandalous political advisor Zumani replaced, this however, did not sit well with many people in PF. They have continued to hate the gentleman.
If Zumani was this powerful to make PF lose the 2021 general elections, then he can as well be powerful to help Tonse Alliance and president Brian Mundubile win the August, 2026 general elections.
In short Dr Chris Zumani actually helped ECL to return some level of trust from people after he replaced Kaizer Zulu as political advisor to the president.
Dr. Chris Zumani Zimba was recently elected as Tonse Alliance Secretary General under the leadership of President Brian Mundubile.
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