The United Party for National Development has told the High Court that party member Charles Longwe only recently acquired a membership card and did so for the purpose of instituting legal action against the party leadership.

This is contained in a defence filed by lawyers representing UPND Secretary General Batuke Imenda in a matter where Longwe is seeking court declarations that the current UPND leadership is operating illegally.

According to court documents filed by L.J. Michaels Legal Practitioners, lawyer Micheal Moono argues that Longwe recently purchased a party membership card solely to create confusion within the ruling party.

The defence further contends that the lawsuit is procedurally defective and should be dismissed, citing Longwe’s alleged failure to comply with requirements under the High Court Rules.

“The plaintiff has failed to cure the defect in his commencement of lawsuit documents which occasioned the dismissal of a similar action he initiated against the defendant under cause number 2026/HP/0341,” part of the defence states.

The defence also argues that Longwe failed to attach an acknowledged demand letter to his court documents as required by court procedure.

In response to claims that current party officials are occupying office unlawfully, the UPND maintains that it conducted internal elections between January and April 2026 and that all office bearers currently serving were validly elected.

“The defendant will aver that intra-party elections of the UPND were held between January and April 2026,” the defence states.

The party further argues that any alleged failure to register under the Societies Act would not automatically render the tenure of elected officials unlawful.

“The defendant shall aver that all elected members have served legally under the law. The defendant will further aver that any purported failure to register under the Societies Act does not render the occupation of office by office bearers illegal,” the court filing reads.

Consequently, the UPND has asked the High Court to dismiss the matter with costs, arguing that the action discloses no reasonable cause of action.

However, in his statement of claim, Longwe is seeking declarations that the UPND National Management Committee installed on February 14, 2021 was either unlawfully constituted or that its mandate expired on February 14, 2026.

He further claims that the party’s alleged failure to hold elections at lower, provincial and national levels violated both the UPND constitution and Article 60 of the Constitution of Zambia.

Longwe is also seeking an injunction restraining current party officials from acting on behalf of the UPND and wants the court to appoint an interim committee, headed by himself, to oversee party affairs and organise fresh elections.

The matter is expected to be determined by the High Court.

Seven Candidates vying for the Malole Parliamentary seat and other stakeholders have unanimously agreed to maintain peace during campaigns ahead of the August 13 general elections.

The resolution was arrived at during the formulation of a campaign schedule to govern campaign activities during the electoral period.

United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate Stella Mutale said candidates should focus on issue-based campaigns as opposed to character assassination.

Ms Mutale said those competing for the seat must embrace President Hakainde Hichilema who has always preached peace.

“I am confident of scooping the Malole seat so that i can continue with the developmental agenda for the new dawn government, in doing so as a candidate i should not preach hate, no character assassination,” she said.

And an Independent candidate Vernon Bwato also pledged to conduct issue based campaigns and to follow the campaign time table.

Mr Bwato also appealed to other contestants to abide by the timetable to maintain law and order.

And Lawance Mwenge of the Socialist Party called on members of various political parties to continue embracing each other when they meet during campaigns.

Mr Mwenge noted that doing so will enable their followers not to engage in fights even under provocations.

Another Independent Candidate Grace Chisanga called on aspiring candidates not to import supporters from outside Mungwi to avoid confrontations.

“I am related to most of you here because Stella Mutale is my Sister, Vernon Bwato is my brother and Moses Nchitwa is my Nephew therefore there is no need for us to fight because at the end of the day only one will be elected,” Ms Chisanga said.

“Usually those that are imported from outside the district are the ones who cause confusions during campaigns in most cases, we need to avoid this,” she observed.

And Moses Nchitwa of the Zambia Must Prosper party appealed to other contestants to adhere to the electoral code of conduct.

Meanwhile, Lawrence Chomba, who has stood as an independent emphasised the need to maintain peace during campaigns for the country to have credible elections.

And Reverend Syvano Musonda of the National Reconciliation Party for Unity Prosperity called on youths not to be used as instruments of violence during campaigns.

And speaking earlier, Mungwi District Electoral Officer, Mwansa Mfula, emphasised the need to have a peaceful election in the district.

Dr Mfula urged aspiring candidates to adhere to the schedule to avoid acts of violence, hate speech, intimidation and any form of political violence.

 “The timetable is intended to help you candidates to coordinate your campaigns effectively, let us follow it,” Dr Mfula narrated.

He has described the campaign mood so far as conducive for all political players in the district.

The Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) has reported ten aspiring politicians to the police after discovering that they submitted forged Grade 12 certificates during the qualification verification process ahead of the August 13, 2026 General Election.

The revelation came after the conclusion of the certificate verification exercise on May 22, which saw ECZ issue a total of 10,731 confirmation letters. Of these, 10,020 were processed through the 2026 election online verification system, while 711 were handled through physical submissions.

ECZ Executive Director Michael Chilala expressed disappointment over the discovery of the forged documents, describing the development as worrying, particularly among individuals seeking public office.

“To our disappointment, a total of 10 documents were found not to be genuine or were forged,” Chilala said.

He noted that it was surprising that aspiring leaders would continue presenting fake academic credentials despite the Council maintaining examination records dating back to the 1960s.

“It is disappointing that those who aspire to be our leaders continue to present forged documents, even when it is public knowledge that the Council has all qualification records going back to the 1960s,” he said.

The ECZ has since handed the cases over to law enforcement agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Meanwhile, police in Eastern Province have already launched investigations into a mayoral candidate suspected of submitting forged academic documents, according to information made available to Breeze FM.

The Council also raised concern over the increasing number of political aspirants seeking replacement certificates, indicating that many had reportedly lost their original documents since the 2021 General Election.

According to Chilala, ECZ processed and replaced 334 Grade 12 certificates for aspiring candidates during the verification exercise.

“The Council received requests for replacement and replaced a total of 334 certificates from aspiring candidates during the exercise of confirming qualifications,” he said.

He urged political leaders and the general public to safeguard their certificates, emphasizing that they are important security documents.

“We therefore urge our leaders to take care of their certificates as they are security documents,” Chilala stated.

Chilala assured the nation that the Examination Council of Zambia conducted the verification process with professionalism, integrity, and diligence, ensuring that only genuine academic qualifications were confirmed for electoral purposes.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) is conducting a five-day training for the Voter Education Facilitators (VEFs) in Lavushimanda District of Muchinga Province as part of preparations for the August 13, 2026 General Elections.

Speaking when he officially opened the training, District Electoral Officer, Jonas Mwendakawa, urged the VEFs to abide by the electoral code of conduct as they will be educating the public on the electoral process.

Mr Mwendakawa emphasised the need for voter education facilitators to adhere to the principals and core values of the ECZ by being professional, non partisan and impartial during their engagement with the public.

He stated that voter education is about educating the citizens on the various issues regarding elections.

The District Electoral Officer stated that facilitators play an important role in ensuring that the public is well educated so that they make informed decisions when voting for the leaders of their choice.

“If you are partisan then declare interest now. You are not election agents to be campaigning when you are conducting voter education,” he cautioned.

Mr Mwendakawa has since declared the commission’s readiness to deliver free and fair elections in accordance with the electoral roles.

He further challenged all officers engaged in the electoral activities to uphold the core values of ECZ.

Mr Mwendakawa asked the voter education training participants to pay attention to what they are learning especially the mixed member proportional representation electoral system that has just been put into law.

One of the participants, Rapture Malama, assured that the knowledge being acquired at the training will fully be utilised during voter education activities by abiding to the electoral code of conduct and ECZ core values.

“Once we go in the field, I can assure ECZ that the knowledge learnt here will be well utilised and the commission will be well represented,” he said.

Another participant, Bwalya Kabinga, thanked ECZ for organising the training, which is equipping them with the skills and knowledge so that they can also educate citizens ahead of the polls.

“Thanks to ECZ for this training and equipping us with the knowledge and skills,” he said.

The training which started yesterday, aims at equipping facilitators with knowledge and practical skills needed to educate communities on the electoral process, voting procedures, voter rights and responsibilities.

14 Voter Education Facilitators are attending the training being held at the council chamber.