ANDYFORD BANDA REMAINS OPP RUNNING MATE AS LAW BARS LATE WITHDRAWAL – MWANZA
By: Mwema Shanshima
The Consortium of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for Good Governance and Constitutionalism has clarified that the purported withdrawal of Andyford Mayele Banda, running mate to the Organised Peoples Party presidential candidate, carries no legal effect and will not alter the ballot for the upcoming election.
In a statement, the consortium explained that under Section 31 of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016, a candidate may only withdraw their nomination before the close of nominations.
Since nominations closed on 20th May 2026, Mr. Banda’s nomination remains valid and unchanged.
The consortium further noted that the Constitutional Court’s ruling in the Gears Initiative Zambia case distinguished between resignation from a political party and withdrawal of a nomination, underscoring that Banda’s status as running mate is unaffected unless he lawfully resigns from the Organised Peoples Party itself.
Consortium Chairperson Isaac Mwanza concluded that while such withdrawals have no legal consequence, they highlight the need to filter out liabilities in politics who might otherwise resign after an election, creating unnecessary costs for the nation.
He urged the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to apply the law consistently to avoid confusion, stressing that similar withdrawals after the close of nominations should not impact the ballot.
