Patriotic Front Chairperson for Information and Publicity Ambassador Emmanuel Mwamba also distanced the party from Phiri’s remarks, saying such rhetoric has no place in the Patriotic Front’s vision.

For the first time, Sangwa went beyond his familiar role as constitutional lawyer and public critic. He admitted that he is ready to serve as president if Zambians decide they want him to lead.

Bill 7 has opened an old wound. We can keep scratching it until it bleeds, or we can treat it properly. Zambia needs amendments that outlive leaders. The safest route is simple. Campaign under the current rules, seek a mandate in 2026, and then, with the heat lowered and the nation watching, fix the constitution in the open.

Celestine Mukandila emphasized that the Constitutional Court’s judgment must be respected by all branches of government.

John Sangwa, one of Zambia’s most prominent constitutional lawyers, has broken months of speculation by issuing a wide-ranging public statement that places him within reach of the country’s highest office.

By Brian Matambo Zambians in the diaspora have sent a strong and unfiltered message to Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti, over her decision to call a special sitting of Parliament to re-table Bill 7 and to ratify secretly appointed judges. In furious WhatsApp discussions, PF supporters abroad condemned the Speaker for attempting to “rip and rape the Constitution”...

Civil society condemned it. Lawyers denounced it. Citizens branded it a brazen attempt to manipulate Zambia’s constitutional order ahead of the 2026 elections. The mood was angry and unforgiving.