LUSAKA, Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Patriotic Front and Pamodzi Alliance Media Director Brian Matambo has urged party members, media teams, writers, commentators, and former senior government officials to intensify public communication ahead of the August 13, 2026, general elections, saying the opposition must now take its case directly to the Zambian people.

Speaking in his capacity as PF-Pamodzi Alliance Media Director, Matambo said the party’s rank and file, particularly those in the media space, must stop treating public communication as a secondary activity.

He said the country was facing several serious political and legal battles, including matters involving the Patriotic Front and the burial dispute surrounding the late former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

“There are issues in court. Some are around the Patriotic Front, and another major issue is around the burial of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu. May his soul rest in peace,” Matambo said.

He said with only 99 days remaining before the August 13, 2026, general elections, opposition voices must recognise that some political battles cannot only be fought in courtrooms.

Matambo accused the UPND government of “molesting the Constitution” and changing rules and laws to suit what he described as undemocratic ambitions.

“My call is simple. There are things you cannot win in UPND courts of law,” he said. “How many of our people are facing frivolous cases before the UPND courts? A lot of our people are behind bars.”

He said the opposition must now “pivot” from relying only on courts of law and begin presenting its case in the court of public opinion.

“We need to leave the UPND courtroom and begin, in earnest, to present our cases in the court of public opinion,” Matambo said.

Matambo called on writers aligned with the opposition to increase their output and flood the public space with articles, commentary, analysis, and political messaging.

“I want to call on those who write, to write. I want you to write like you are on steroids. Write like your life depends on it. Write until the internet breaks,” he said.

He argued that modern political narratives are shaped not only through rallies and press briefings, but also through digital content, search engines, social media, and artificial intelligence systems that depend on published material.

“Artificial intelligence is content-hungry. If you feed the internet with your articles, you will change global narratives,” Matambo said.

He also encouraged party supporters who comment on social media to take their role seriously, saying online engagement may appear small but has a real political effect.

“It may look like a mundane activity when you speak your mind on social media, when you speak out against a false claim or a false narrative, and when you support President Makebi Zulu,” he said. “But your actions are not in vain. Other people are watching and being influenced by your comments.”

Matambo urged supporters to comment, like, share, correct falsehoods, and defend the PF-Pamodzi Alliance message across digital platforms.

He further challenged former ministers, former permanent secretaries, former directors, and former senior officials who served in government to stop hiding behind what he called “background support.”

“The time for supporting in fear is gone,” Matambo said.

He said Zambia’s democracy, culture of faith, and conservative foundations were under threat, warning that the country was being taken away from its people.

“Zambia, as we know it, is being snatched away like a thief snatching a woman’s bag. Ichola baiba,” he said.

Matambo said senior figures who once held public office had a duty to speak openly, organise, advise, and help mobilise citizens ahead of the election.

“You cannot afford to support from the background anymore,” he said.

He invoked Zambia’s independence struggle, saying leaders such as Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe did not defeat colonial rule by remaining silent or hiding in the background.

Matambo said Kaunda and Kapwepwe confronted colonial authority at great personal risk, organised citizens when political mobilisation was treated with suspicion, and spoke out when silence would have been safer.

He said the two leaders endured intimidation, arrests, restrictions, and surveillance, but remained committed to Zambia’s liberation.

“If Kaunda and Kapwepwe had decided to support from the background, Zambia would not have gotten its independence,” Matambo said.

He said the August 13, 2026, election should be viewed by opposition supporters as a fight for what he called “the second independence.”

“As we fight for the second independence on August 13, 2026, we need to stop being afraid and speak truth to power,” Matambo said.

He said the opposition required writers, commentators, media teams, former government officials, organisers, and ordinary party members to work together in shaping the national conversation.

“To the writers, write. To those who comment, comment. To those who have been in places of leadership, come out and help bring change,” Matambo said.

He said the coming election would not only be a contest for political power, but a test of whether citizens were willing to defend democracy, truth, and constitutional order.

Matambo said the PF-Pamodzi Alliance media wing would continue encouraging members and supporters to use every available platform to challenge what he described as false narratives and political intimidation.