Former President Rupiah Banda has urged Malawian President Joyce Banda to concede defeat in last weeks elections.
Mr Banda said Malawian have spoken and Dr Banda should listen and concede defeat.
The former President was speaking in an interview with Journalists in Lusaka shortly after attending the wreath laying at Freedom Statue to celebrate Africa Freedom Day.
“I don’t want to make a comment because I have not been following the happenings in that country closely but they are our neighbours and we are concerned. It is important that those that have lost should concede and proceed,” Mr Banda said.
The respected Statesman added, “When you enter an election, ony two things are expected. Either you will win or lose and it is therefore important that you concede when you lose.”
Mr Banda said it is easy for him to move on after he lost the 2011 elections because he had respected the will of Zambians.
“During our last rally in Mandevu, I said in my last campaign speech that we had campaigned through out the country but now it was the time for people to will speak and indeed over the next 48 Hours, Zambians spoke and as leaders will must listened.”
And on Africa Freedom Day, Mr Banda urged all Africans to cherish freedom.
“Freedom is precious and let us remain united. If we lose the peace we have, then all our development targets will just be a pipe dream because you cannot develop in the absence of peace,” he said.
He urged Zambians to safely guard the peace that the country enjoys.
“Let us look after our country well so that we don’t fall into problems like other countries.”
But boss you should not have conceded, there is no peace when a man’s belly is empty.
I now believe that Mr. Rupiah Banda is a good man. Its not easy to leave power in Africa. To some it will take rebellions, riots, war, bullets and to some it will take natural causes like death, a thing which likely to happen in Zambia.
Natural Born Knuckleheads!
Yes madam save us the pain. Let history be on your side and besides this is not the end of the world. There is always life beyond the presidency. Look at Zambia all our former presidents are free and even those who passed on did so in freedom. Malawi is our lovely and peaceful neighbour. Please let it be even at sensitive times like these ones.
Nice one brother man..
ichikalipa chumfwa umwine. let them solve their own problems
Well that’s a statesman!
He is just another thieving african president like 99.99% of all african presidents. If Banda is a respected statesman, then I am Martin Luther King.
Don’t show your clever afterall u also wanted to cling to power, dont pretend that POWER IS SWEET, ONE MUST CHECK HE OR SHE HAS LOST IN CLEAR MANNER NOT THROUGH RIGGING
It would have been better if he had clung to power ***. Not imbwa ishili mu govt nomba.
Madam Joy, concede defeat and go and enjoy you’re wealth you amassed. You’re not a life president.
Rupiah and Joyce have the same surnames, that is, Banda. Both became presidents after the death of their respective presidents. They became presidents by chance. That’s why both failed to defend their positions. Worse for Joyce Banda, she was a disciple of TB JOSHUA such that she was told that yo re-election as president was sure. Infant, she was told to appoint a young man as her vice president because those were the instructions from God. That’s why it has become very difficult for her to accept her defeat. Where is God of TB JOSHUA, she is wondering. Mama Joyce Banda, sorry TB JOSHUA’s god is LUCIFER. He speaks one thing, another thing happens. Up to now, Malaysian plane cant be seen and yet he said within a week. Maybe with him,one week means one year. What about Nigerian girls?Its…
Leave TB JOSHUA out of this. If you have been following the story, you are likely to have heard that TB JOSHUA responded to online media reports which propagandized the false story and distanced himself from it.
I wonder wether Sata and his clowns will concede come 2016, I see them doing the same thing, it’s just African politics, RB made himself honourable after he conceded very rarely done in Africa, hope Joyce can do the same it’s too much pressure when you are a President
You are such a hater. What has this got to do with Sata. Continue hating or try getting a life. Inteligent contribution would be another option. Then you busy being a hater.
I guess the name Banda is a bad one for presidents. RB and JB both got from the dead and both lost after 2 and half years
It’s a cursed name for high office, it guarantees you half term unless you go dictator like Kamuzu Banda.
True leaders are self made. They speak and people follow them. They can even command their following into battle. This is the type of leaders that Africa and Zambia in particular needs and not those who become leaders after benefitting from another persons death ( by default). Most of our politicians were nonentities politically until they were appointed by another person to be in this that position.
What a shame. How could one nullify unpublished results. MEC should just go ahead and announce the results after 8 days as demanded by their mandate.
I will vote for RB anytime, in preference to Sata, HH or Nevers. Concocted stories of the Past fooled me but not any more.
Am always saddened when I see the picture above. RB handing over our lovely country to a total clueless d!ckhead.
@DUDELOVE I ALSO HATE THAT PICTURE AS THE DAY ZAMBIA WAS GIVEN TO PIPO LIKE SATA
Mr RB statement is a rare one in African politics. This man has offered wise words!! Young people, listen to these words of wisdom
R B an educated honorable disciplend man and a gentleman above all; Joyce should conceed defeat as it is the people that elect a leader;
The message may also be that when YOU are in high office, do not have a Banda for a vice or deputy! They will fail your legacy especially more so if they are female and acquired their ‘banda’ through marriage to another lady’s man.
Concede defeat to whom? The Malawi Electoral Commission acknowledges an existence of substantial anomalies, which anomalies the Commission is still trying to unravel. RB’s stance that one size fits all is wrong. He conceded defeat, and that was commendable.
The Malawi situation is different. I find it wrong for anyone to choose to induce unnecessary duress on any of the presidential candidates of the recent Malawi Presidential elections. Let the Malawi Electoral Commission do a commendable and transparent job to ensure fairness to all the stakeholders.
Must we not expect RB to use the grey matter beneath his scalp, to analyze issues intelligently, as do other former heads of states, before issuing statements of this kind?
Is it because RB sees himself as the utopia, or is it because he wants us to view him that way, as the official standard bearer for conceding defeat? Or is it because he feels too much of a loner in that respect? There should be exceptions to situations. As at now, it is premature for anyone to advise any of the three front-runners in the recent Malawi Presidential election to concede defeat.
Mei Matungu I agree with you when you say its too early for anyone to conceed defeat in the Malawi election, but I have trouble with you talking about RBs comment. You see RB is entitled to his own opinion and as for Mrs Banda it was her duty as sitting President to ensure that the MEC was well funded and equiped to handle the elections with minimum hardships. For her to complain about electral malpractices when she heads the government in power to me seems absurd.
Mei Matungu, look at it this way: It seems the administration of JB in the two years or so failed to ensure (given the current misunderstandings) that the MEC and all electoral processes functioned effectively. Isn’t that alone not a good reason for her to quickly concede defeat and step aside and avoid a lot more trouble?
@Aggressive Muntanga and @Nsimbi: I presume you both have no qualms with the fact that RB’s statement, appealing to JB to concede is prejudicial. That alone suffices to discredit RB for the unfortunate remark he made.
Surprisingly, both of you have alluded to the fact that JB, as sitting president, must be made accountable for any arising electoral malpractices! I wonder why? Firstly, it should not be the fault of the MEC if anybody rigged or tried to rig the election. As a matter of fact, the MEC is trying to ensure that, this hasn’t happened.
But even of we stretch it further to assume that the MEC itself is to blame for any malpractices, why should one candidate be made to pay for the sins of the MEC? Your view please?
@Mei. There is no doubt JB had the benefits of incumbency prior to the elections and that was far greater than what any of her opponents may have had in the race. While one cannot rule out deliberate cheating against JB for the benefit of her opponents occasioned by any of them or the MEC for that matter, JB carried the ULTIMATE responsibility for system failure or otherwise of the entire process. To me that is good reason why she must concede and the faster the better!
Some Malawians I have spoken to think she is a better leader than most of her competitors who did not deserve this and I tend to agree. As it is she stands on quick sand and she sticks to her current argument, things can only get worse and NOT better. She has only one way out to preserve her small but important legacy…
@Nsimbi: Which “system failure” are you alluding to, on the basis of which, you say JB should have conceded defeat?
@Mei
Failure by the actions of JB herself. As it is there is an impasse with one court action countered by another – what would you call that? Who therefore carries the burden of responsibility more than others?
JB cannot therefore afford to carry herself as though she were in opposition but fully accept system failure and implement a win -win solution. Some citizen have even gone as far as looking to the military for a solution. You and I know too well that once that happens, those men and women in uniform will not want to return to the barracks …
Don’t try to be too clever…you didn’t want to give away power under the advice of your friends whom you were giving fertilizer contracts…bandas are meant for the farms (ku lima)not for statehouses..
RB YOU ARE THE FATHER OF NATION CALL ZAMBIA PLS GOD GIVE YOU MORE YEARS THANK.
RB, i respect your statment and we as zambians need you in 2016 to help give advise to our politicians.
RB u the father of nation if other prezident wz lk u africa wz. the great
Power is sweet.
That is the way to go! JB needs to reflect on what legacy she wants to leave, a chaotic or peaceful country. Listen to what RB is saying, there is life after the presidency. Ignore some of these paid bloggers who want you to throw your country into fire.