APC’s Msoni accuses Electoral Commission of Zambia of working to return Hichilema as president in 2026

All People’s Congress (APC) president, Nason Msoni, has questioned the credibility of the ongoing voter registration exercise, describing it as “bogus” and a scheme to favour President Hakainde Hichilema ahead of the 2026 general elections.

The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) launched the mass voter registration on October 13, with the exercise scheduled to run until November 11, 2025, in preparation for next year’s polls.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Msoni said:

“It is obvious to everyone following the bogus registration of voters that the ECZ is not working on organising a credible election but a coronation of President Hakainde Hichilema.”

He questioned how a region with a relatively smaller population could record such a high number of registered voters compared to more populated areas in the country.

Read More: Electoral Commission of Zambia to begin nationwide voter registration on October 13 ahead of 2026 elections

“An election gets stolen long before even the first ballot is cast. It was to be expected that Hichilema was intending to play dirty,” Msoni claimed.

He alleged that President Hichilema’s “electoral ruse” was to secure inflated registration figures in regions considered UPND strongholds.

“His electoral ruse is to secure the highest possible votes through an inflated registration process in the region he considers to be his stronghold, and then later claim victory with just a small top-up from other regions he considers hostile and repugnant towards his political ambition,” he said.

Msoni added that the “writing on the wall” for President Hichilema was clear, as citizens were “fatigued by the poor governance” of the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND).

He urged the Head of State to leave office honourably.

“President Hichilema has a unique opportunity to go as a statesman by decently exiting out of office through a credible and democratic process rather than attempting to steal an election,” Msoni stated.

“In a nutshell, it is always better to go as a statesman than waiting to be rejected and expressly ejected by angry, dissatisfied and disillusioned voters,” he said.

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