By Thandiwe Ketiš Ngoma
If President Hakainde Hichilema had even a shred of moral decency, this would be the right moment for him to let go of the Patriotic Front (PF) and stop meddling in the internal affairs of the opposition. Instead, HH continues to play cheap political games, using his surrogate Robert Chabinga, propped up by a compromised Judiciary, to impose leadership on the PF.
This charade is not only shameless, it is exposing HH for what he truly is: an autocrat determined to crush all dissent. History has taught us that dictators are never content with running their own governments. They always want to stamp on others, suffocating democracy in the process. HH is no different. His obsession with weakening the PF through backdoor schemes shows he fears genuine political competition.
All normal-thinking Zambians know that you, Mr. President, have used state institutions to wrestle PF from its rightful owners. Do you really believe you can insult the intelligence of the people by pretending this is a genuine process? Everyone can see that you are the mastermind of this chaos. What a disgrace you are to the Presidency. You swore to protect and uphold the Constitution, yet what you are doing is blatantly unconstitutional.
Since when did Robert Chabinga become PF president? By what authority does he claim such a position that you even give him a platform to defend your regime and parade himself as party leader, joining you on presidential tours as though his position is legitimate? What you have done to the PF is unconstitutional, illegal, and politically immoral.
The late President Edgar Chagwa Lungu died while struggling to take back the party from your interference. If you had any moral uprightness, you would excuse yourself from your predecessor’s funeral. The deceased himself made it known that you should not be anywhere near his remains or preside over his funeral. Your presence there is unwelcome, for reasons the public already knows. You humiliated and persecuted him in life, denied him his basic human right to proper medical attention, and above all used state machinery to strip away the party he loved and respected so dearly.
By clinging onto PF matters and manipulating the courts, HH is stripping himself of the moral high ground he so often pretends to occupy. Democracy thrives on strong, independent opposition. Yet HH seems determined to silence and scatter the PF, believing this will secure him political survival. But in reality, his every move is exposing him more, revealing a man so insecure in his own leadership that he must resort to authoritarian tactics.
Information about HH’s dictatorial tenets is there for everyone to see. Opposition leaders are hounded on trumped-up charges. Dissent is criminalized. Journalism is weaponized. Civil liberties are shrinking under his watch. This is not the behaviour of a democrat; it is the playbook of a dictator.
The truth is simple: a president confident in his record would not waste time interfering with opposition structures. Only a fully-fledged dictator does that. And today, Zambians must call HH exactly what he has become: a dictator hiding behind the mask of democracy.
It is time for HH to let go of PF. It is time for him to stop weaponizing the Judiciary against his opponents. If he refuses, then he only confirms what many already know: that his regime is nothing but autocracy wrapped in empty rhetoric.
And above all, it must be said clearly: abusing the Constitution for selfish political gain is the ultimate disgrace to the Presidency. The office of President is meant to embody justice, fairness, and national unity, not deceit, manipulation, and unconstitutional schemes. By trampling on the very Constitution he swore to defend, HH has reduced the Presidency to a tool of oppression, dragging the dignity of the highest office in the land into the mud.
This is not leadership. It is betrayal. It is not statesmanship. It is dictatorship. And the people of Zambia must never forget: Hakainde Hichilema has chosen to dishonour the Constitution, dishonour his oath of office, and dishonour the very Presidency he occupies. That is his legacy.
