HH Admits UPND Adoption Process Was Messy, Calls for Unity Ahead of August Polls

President Acknowledges Errors, Urges Members to Rally Behind Adopted Candidates

President Hakainde Hichilema has publicly acknowledged that the UPND’s candidate adoption process was imperfect, admitting mistakes were made and appealing for unity as the ruling party intensifies preparations for the August 13 general election.

Speaking before thousands of supporters at a campaign engagement in Choma, Hichilema conceded that the adoption exercise generated disappointment among some aspiring candidates and their supporters, but stressed that the party must move beyond internal disputes and focus on securing victory at the polls.

He accepted responsibility for shortcomings that occurred during the process, apologised to members who felt aggrieved, and explained that the volume of applications received from aspiring candidates across the country created significant administrative pressure that contributed to some of the difficulties experienced.

The remarks represent one of the clearest acknowledgements by the UPND leadership that tensions emerged during the selection of parliamentary, mayoral and local government candidates.

Candidate adoptions are among the most sensitive stages of any election cycle. Competition for selection is usually intense, particularly in constituencies considered strategically important, as adoption decisions directly determine political careers and shape local campaign dynamics.

Hichilema told the gathering that decisions had been made and the party needed to direct its energy toward campaigning rather than revisiting internal contests. He urged members who were not adopted to continue supporting the party and its chosen candidates, arguing that electoral success depended on collective effort rather than individual ambition.

Senior party officials and local leaders present at the Choma rally reinforced the message, encouraging members to focus on the campaign rather than past disagreements. The gathering also served to demonstrate unity among parliamentary candidates, councillors and campaign structures in what remains one of the UPND’s strongest political bases.

Party leadership has long understood that adoption disputes produce winners and losers, and that the challenge lies not in avoiding disagreements altogether but in managing them effectively once decisions have been finalised. For the UPND, which enters the election seeking a renewed mandate, consolidating those structures has become a pressing organisational priority.

The President also used the occasion to make the case for re-election, citing free education, expanded Constituency Development Fund allocations, teacher recruitment, social protection programmes and debt restructuring as achievements from the party’s first term that should be protected through continued electoral support.

He told supporters that personal disappointment arising from candidate selection should not overshadow broader national development objectives, and that party members must distinguish between individual grievance and the collective interests of their communities.

In closely contested constituencies, internal divisions can weaken mobilisation efforts and reduce voter turnout among supporters — an outcome party leadership will be working to prevent as campaigns intensify across the country.

The UPND’s national campaign structures are expected to continue rolling out constituency-level engagements in the weeks ahead as the August 13 polling date draws nearer.