By Brian Matambo | Lusaka

President Makebi Zulu, President of the PF Pamodzi Alliance and presidential candidate running on the Resolute Party ticket, has announced what he called the 140/041 formula, meaning “One For All and All For One.”

Speaking at the Tonse and PF Pamodzi Alliance Press Conference held at the FDD offices in Longacres, Lusaka, on Saturday, 16 May 2026, President Zulu said the opposition had resolved to stand together, protect one another, and refuse to be divided by what he described as the political and administrative tactics of the UPND government.

The press conference came at a critical political moment, coinciding with the closing of the National Assembly and the opening of the campaign period. President Zulu said the timing was deliberate because the opposition understands the nature of the battle ahead.

“It is not a mistake that we are here today,” President Zulu said. “It is not a mistake that we have had this briefing to coincide with the closing of the National Assembly and the opening of the campaign period. We know what this government intends to do.”

He said the message from the United Opposition was clear: one for all, and all for one.

According to President Zulu, the opposition has chosen discipline, unity and strategic patience. He said the UPND should not expect to isolate, disqualify, intimidate, or eliminate opposition candidates one by one, because the united opposition will continue to respond as one collective force.

“As the opposition, we are saying we are going to stand for one, and one is going to stand for all,” he said. “We are going to play smart. You drop one, we pick another. You drop the other, we pick another. But at any given time, we shall stand for one, and one shall stand for all.”

This, he explained, is the meaning of the 140/041 formula. It is not merely a slogan, but a political strategy built around unity, mutual protection, shared sacrifice, and coordinated resistance against any attempt to divide the opposition ahead of the election.

President Zulu said the opposition had not arrived at this position by accident. He said it was a direct response to the demands of the Zambian people, who have repeatedly called on opposition leaders to set aside personal ambitions and unite for the sake of the country.

“We are doing that because the Zambian people have called for it,” he said. “We have listened to the voice of the Zambian people.”

He said Zambians have endured enough over the last four years and are now demanding a united alternative. According to him, the UPND government has presided over economic pain, business collapse, agricultural frustration, corruption scandals and a deepening crisis of confidence in public leadership.

President Zulu accused the UPND government of giving Zambians four years of loadshedding, destroying businesses and livelihoods, only to now offer a few months of improved electricity supply in the hope that citizens would forget the suffering they had endured.

“The Zambians have said, ‘This man has given us four years of loadshedding and wants to give us six months of power for us to vote for him,’” President Zulu said.

The reference to “six months of power” was a direct criticism of the government’s handling of electricity supply. President Zulu argued that the UPND cannot erase years of economic damage caused by prolonged loadshedding by suddenly presenting improved power supply close to the election.

For many small businesses, including barbershops, salons, welders, internet cafés, restaurants, lodges, milling operations and other electricity-dependent enterprises, loadshedding has been an economic wrecking ball. Businesses have closed, workers have lost jobs, machines have gone idle, and families have been pushed into hardship. President Zulu’s message was that this suffering cannot be washed away by a short period of electricity supply near election time.

He also reminded the country that the UPND promised to reduce the cost of living, especially the price of mealie meal, but failed to deliver meaningful relief to ordinary families.

“The Zambians have said, ‘You told us that you were going to reduce the price of mealie meal. You have not reduced the price of mealie meal,’” he said.

President Zulu framed opposition unity as a national rescue mission. He said the parties and leaders coming together have decided to lay aside their individual ambitions in order to respond to the greater national call.

“All this is a call to save the Zambian people,” he said. “We have all decided to lay aside our ambitions and say we are going to support one.”

He said the united opposition would unveil its agreed candidate at the appropriate time because it understands the tactics of the UPND. However, he assured supporters that the opposition would be represented on the ballot.

“We shall unveil that one in time, because we know the tactics of the UPND,” he said. “But we can assure them that we will be on the ballot through one.”

President Zulu then emphasised that opposition leaders now see themselves as part of one collective political front. He said that when people see one leader, they should understand that they are seeing the strength and commitment of the others as well.

“If you see my face, you will have seen his face. If you see his face, you will have seen Mwenya Musenge’s face,” he said.

This statement captured the spirit of the Tonse and PF Pamodzi Alliance Press Conference. It was a declaration that the opposition does not intend to campaign as scattered individuals, each defending their own small territory. Instead, it intends to move as one political body, with one shared purpose.

President Zulu said the opposition is tired of kimunya, a Lozi term used to describe food that has failed to cook properly, something left half-done and capable of causing stomach upsets. In the political context of his speech, he used the term to describe the UPND government’s failure to deliver. The promise was made, the pot was put on the fire, but the meal never cooked. After four years, what has been served to the Zambian people is unfinished, disappointing and harmful.

“We are tired of kimunya,” he said. “We are tired of kimunya.”

He then issued a direct warning to the Electoral Commission of Zambia, making it clear that the Commission must remember that Zambia belongs to the people, not to any administrative body, political party, or temporary office holder.

“This is the warning we are giving to ECZ: this is not your country. This country belongs to the Zambians,” President Zulu said.

He argued that Zambia already has laws that define who qualifies to stand for public office. He warned against the use of administrative procedures, technicalities, or invented requirements to block lawful candidates from participating in the election.

“We have a law that prescribes what qualifies one to stand,” he said. “We cannot be disqualified by administrative laws or administrative procedures that are not enshrined in law.”

President Zulu said the opposition would not accept a situation where administrative measures are used to achieve political ends. He warned that the electoral process must not be manipulated to favour those in power.

“We cannot have you coming up with laws intended to perpetuate kimunya,” he said. “No. We cannot have you do that.”

He said the opposition is now reclaiming what belongs to Zambians. In his view, the country has been pushed into a place where citizens feel excluded from their own national inheritance. He said the united opposition is going back to the people because it is the people who have called for unity.

“We are reclaiming Zambia’s inheritance,” he said. “We are going back to the people, the people who have called on us to come together, and we are saying: here we are. We are one.”

President Zulu said that as the opposition, they have agreed to float one. His message was that unity must be practical, not ceremonial. It must show up in the choices opposition leaders make, the candidates they support, the campaigns they run, and the way they prevent vote splitting.

“In every constituency, as the opposition, we have agreed to float one,” he said.

He warned that those who choose to stand outside the united opposition arrangement would have to explain themselves to the Zambian people. He said the opposition would work hard to expose those who undermine unity at a time when citizens are demanding collective action.

“If you see any person who is not coming from this one, we shall work very hard to ensure that Zambians know who they are,” he said.

He added that if any presidential candidate chooses to stand alone outside the broader unity project, citizens should be able to draw their own conclusions.

“Indeed, if you see any other president choosing to stand on their own, just know what that means,” he said.

President Zulu said the overwhelming public response to the announcement that the two alliances were coming together showed that the Zambian people had already embraced the unity project.

“When we announced on Wednesday that the two alliances were going to come together, the overwhelming response from Zambians indeed told us that we have won this election,” he said. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have won the election.”

He made it clear that the next task is not only to campaign, but to protect the vote. According to him, the opposition must now prepare citizens to vote and defend their vote lawfully and firmly.

“The process we are getting into is about protecting our vote,” he said. “It is for you to protect that vote.”

President Zulu urged citizens not to be intimidated. He said Zambians must go to polling stations, cast their votes, and ensure that their vote is protected.

“We shall go to the polling stations, we shall vote, and we shall protect our vote,” he said. “We shall not fear anyone. We are not afraid of anything.”

He said Zambians have already lost too much under the UPND government to continue living in fear. When he spoke of loss, he was referring to real economic and social damage suffered by citizens over the last four years.

Businesses have been destroyed by loadshedding. Farmers have suffered because of delayed payments. Farming inputs have not been distributed properly, leaving many agricultural households exposed. Citizens have watched scandals involving the theft of medicines while the UPND government failed to act with the seriousness required. Patients, families, entrepreneurs and farmers have all suffered.

This is the background to President Zulu’s declaration that Zambians have nothing more to lose.

“Fellow Zambians, we have lost enough over the last four years,” he said. “We have nothing more to lose.”

He said the country must now reclaim its inheritance and restore the citizen’s rightful place in national affairs.

“We have to reclaim our inheritance as Zambians,” he said. “We have to claim our space in Zambia.”

President Zulu returned once again to the central message of his address, insisting that the opposition unity project is not about selfish gain, but collective survival and national renewal.

“It is not one for some and some for one,” he said. “It is one for all and all for one. And that is what we stand for.”

He closed by announcing that the united opposition would continue reaching out to other opposition leaders. He said they would knock on every door and ask others to join the unity movement.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have told ourselves that we are going to knock on every opposition leader’s door and talk to them,” he said.

President Zulu promised that the process would be transparent. If leaders accept the call for unity, the public will be informed. If they refuse, the public will also be informed.

“If they refuse, we will come and tell you they have refused,” he said. “If they accept, we will come and tell you they have accepted.”

The Tonse and PF Pamodzi Alliance Press Conference, therefore, marked a major moment in the opposition’s march toward the election. President Makebi Zulu’s address was not merely a campaign speech. It was a unity declaration, a warning to ECZ, a challenge to the UPND government, and a call to Zambians to protect their vote.

The 140/041 formula, meaning One For All and All For One, now stands as the organising message of the united opposition effort. It speaks to solidarity among opposition leaders, coordinated political action, and the resolve to prevent the ruling party from benefiting from division.

For President Makebi Zulu, President of the PF Pamodzi Alliance and presidential candidate running on the Resolute Party ticket, the message from Longacres was unmistakable: the opposition is preparing to stand together, campaign together, protect one another, and confront the UPND as one united force.