By Gregory Mofu
In his recent article titled “Unbridled and Unrealistic Presidential Ambitions, An Achilles Heel for Political Cohesion Amongst the Opposition,” Muhabi Lungu paints a gloomy picture of opposition politics, dismissing many as delusional presidential hopefuls. While he marshals statistics to show how difficult it is to win State House, his analysis misses the real point. The crisis in Zambia’s opposition is not merely about ambition. It is about organization. And without addressing that, no amount of finger pointing will change the equation.
As of today, Zambia does not have an opposition leader who can genuinely inspire the masses. That is the blunt truth. The frustration ordinary citizens feel with government does not automatically translate into support for the opposition, because there is no figure or party that has built the kind of ground game capable of turning discontent into votes. People want change, but they also want to see seriousness in terms of structures, mobilization, and presence across the country.
Muhabi is right about one thing: unity is necessary if the opposition is to stand a chance in 2026. But unity cannot be built on air. Parties that come to the alliance table without members, without structures and without clear policies are bringing nothing to the equation. They weaken the collective rather than strengthen it. An alliance of empty shells is not a winning strategy, it is a recipe for ridicule.
And here is where Muhabi must look in the mirror. He is spokesperson of Zambia We Want, a party widely perceived by the public as having no real structures on the ground. How then can it be taken seriously in an alliance? How can it lecture other parties about maturity when it has not yet demonstrated the organizational backbone to stand on its own? Before telling others to tame their ambitions, should it not first prove that it exists beyond press statements and elite circles?
The truth is that alliances work only when parties bring something to the table. Frederick Chiluba’s MMD in 1991 was powered by the unions, real people, organized and mobilized. Michael Sata’s PF was built brick by brick, election after election, with a loyal base that never gave up.
These were not creations of wishful thinking or clever rhetoric. They were organizations rooted in communities.
So yes, the opposition must unite. But first, it must organize. The hard, unglamorous work of building branches, recruiting members and presenting credible policies must take precedence. Otherwise, talk of unity is meaningless. And no amount of condescending lectures will substitute for the structures that actually win elections.
That is why it is refreshing to see figures like Ms. Dolika Banda step onto the political scene. Muhabi dismisses such entrants as mere dreamers, but perhaps it is exactly those dreams that will one day come true. Zambia’s democracy has always been moved forward by men and women who dared to dream against the odds. Instead of ridiculing them, we should welcome new energy and ideas into the national conversation.
Until the opposition produces leaders who combine ambition with real structures, it will remain weak. And until parties like Zambia We Want prove they exist beyond rhetoric, their lectures will ring hollow. Zambians deserve more than statistics and cynicism, they deserve a credible alternative that is serious, organized and inspiring.
