22/05/2026
PATRIOTS FOR ECONOMIC PROGRESS (PeP) Press Statement on the Presidential Nomination Process of Eng. Chanda A. B. Katotobwe & Sean E. Tembo
22nd May 2026
Lusaka, Zambia
1. Fellow citizens and members of the media, the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) presidential ticket, consisting of Eng. Chanda A.B. Katotobwe, as Presidential Candidate, and Mr. Sean E. Tembo as Running Mate, has so far been unable to successfully file in its nomination, before the Returning Officer at Mulungushi International Conference Center, due to unauthorized changes that were made on 8th May 2026 and 21st May 2026, to the Party’s record maintained at the Registrar of Societies, under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security.
2. Two material, unauthorized changes were made to the party’s records. The first was that the Party was re-categorized as a church organization whose principal activities were designated as “Ministry and Preaching” as per copy of printout dated 8th May 2026 annexed hereto as annexure A. This means that the Party can no longer undertake any political activities, including filing in a Presidential Nomination, or indeed any election nomination, for that matter. The second change was with regard to office bearers. The position of Secretary General was reallocated to two new office bearers, without any authority from the Party, and without any supporting document such as a letter from the party or a resolution of an Annual General Meeting or General Conference.
3. These alterations to the Party’s record were discovered during the filing in process of our Presidential Nomination, at Mulungushi International Conference Center on Wednesday morning, 20th May 2026. Upon this discovery, we decided to immediately visit the office of Registrar of Societies, so that all unauthorized changes can be reversed. We found the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies, Mr. Jason Mwambazi in his office, in the company of his Senior Registrar in charge of political parties, by the name of Mr. Harold Chiinda. We challenged the Acting Chief Registrar to provide us with supporting documents, on the basis of which he made the changes to our party records. He requested that we give him 2 hours for him to scrutinize our file, and so we left at around 12:30hrs and we told him that we shall be back at 14hrs.
4. When we returned to the office of the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies at 14hrs, he told us that our file shows that the changes to our Party records were made from an Internet Café, by an unknown person called Prince Care. We asked Mr. Jason Mwambazi whether the Government computer systems had been hacked, to which he replied in the negative. The PeP Presidential Candidate, Eng. Chanda A.B. Katotobwe, further asked the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies whether anyone can log into their computer system and change records of the ruling UPND party, to which he replied in the affirmative. We subsequently put it to the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies that since the changes were made by an unauthorized and unknown person, with no supporting documents, his office needs to reverse them immediately. However, Mr. Jason Mwambazi was adamant to reverse the changes. He argued that the changes were authorized by the said, unknown Prince Care. We then requested that he provides us with copies of the documents, on the strength of which the changes were made. The Acting Chief Registrar of Societies replied that the supporting documents were in a folder on their computer system, and the folder could not open.
5. Noticing that we had reached a deadlock, we decided to leave the office of the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies, at approximately 15:30hrs, on Wednesday, 20th May 2026. However, as we were leaving, Mr. Jason Mwambazi proposed that, in order to help us file in our nomination, we should just choose one of the two unauthorized Secretary General’s that were appearing on our record, and he would effect the change, and also re-designate the registration of our party, back to a political party, from a church.
6. Of the two unauthorized individuals appearing on our record, Mr. Njovu was readily available to sign our Adoption Certificate, whereas Mr. Handavu was deceased. We asked the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies, how long it would take for him to effect the changes to our records, once we selected, which one of the two unauthorized Secretary Generals, we wanted to retain on our records. He advised that the revised printout would be ready the following day, Thursday, 21st May 2026, by 10hrs. After considering our options, we told the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies that we would pick Mr. Njovu. However, he was adamant, and insisted that we should pick Mr. Handavu. We told him that Mr. Handavu was now deceased, but he still insisted that we should pick him. We asked Mr. Jason Mwambazi, why it mattered to him, as a keeper of our Party records, who the party chose to occupy a particular party position? He was unable to answer our question. We subsequently wrote a letter to the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies, in which we stated that we would retain Mr. Njovu as our Secretary General, which we personally handed over to him, and is annexed hereto as annexure B.
7. Believing that the issue had been resolved, at least for purposes of filing in our nominations, the PeP Presidential Candidate, Eng. Chanda A. B. Katotobwe, and Running Mate, Mr Sean E. Tembo, proceeded to the presidential nominations center, at Mulungushi International Conference Center, yesterday, 21st May 2026, to complete the nomination process that had been commenced the previous day. On the other hand, we sent one of our party officials, to the office of the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies, to collect the revised printout of the records of our Party, which, as per the agreement the previous day, we expected to reflect only Mr. Njovu as the Party Secretary General. Mr Jason Mwambazi however indicated to our Party official that the printout was not yet ready, and that he first needed to have a meeting with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security. While waiting to process our nomination at MICC yesterday, one of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) officers, by the name of Mr. Sikota, advised that he had received a revised printout of our party records from a Mr. Harold Chiinda at Registrar of Societies, and that it now reflected Mr. Handavu, who is deceased, as the Party Secretary General. When we queried why the deceased Mr. Handavu was retained, as opposed to the living Mr. Njovu, as per the written instructions of the Party the previous day, the response was that it was a decision by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security.
8. It then became apparent to us, that there appeared to be a well-orchestrated scheme to prevent the Patriots for Economic Progress, from filing in nominations and participating in this year’s general elections, at all levels. The party had adopted, and nomination fees had been paid by a total of 167 Members of Parliament, 6 Mayors, 57 Council Chairpersons and 969 Councilors across the country, all of whom have been prevented from filing in their nominations. This is in addition to the disenfranchisement of the PeP Presidential Candidate, Eng. Chanda A. B. Katotobwe and Running Mate, Mr Sean E. Tembo.
9. The total amount of nomination fees paid and wasted, currently stands at K3,969,000.00. This is in addition to a substantial amount spent on party mobilization activities, over the past 5 years, and several ruined personal careers of candidates who resigned the respective jobs, to stand on the Party’s ticket in the 2026 general elections.
10. In the premises above, we request, as we hereby do, that President Hakainde Hichilema must instruct the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Permanent Secretary, and through him, the Acting Chief Registrar of Societies, to restore our party records, as they were, before the alleged “Prince Care” altered them from an Internet Café. We further request that, once our Party records have been restored, the Electoral Commission of Zambia Chairperson, Ms. Mwangala Zaloumis, must extend the nomination filing period for the Patriots for Economic Progress, to allow our members to file in their nominations across the country. Such requested actions, on the part of President Hakainde Hichilema and Ms. Mwangala Zaloumis, would be in the interest of democracy, natural justice and fair play.
11. We have since written to the Republican President, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, seeking his intervention at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, as per annexure C, as well as to the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia, seeking her intervention in extending the nomination period for the Patriots for Economic Progress, across the country, as per annexure D.
12. We look forward to an amicable and timely resolution of this important matter.
Jointly Issued by:
Eng. Chanda A. B. Katotobwe
2026 Presidential Candidate
Patriots for Economic Progress
Lusaka, Zambia
And
Sean E. Tembo
Party President & 2026 Running Mate
Patriots for Economic Progress
Lusaka, Zambia
