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What if I told you the man who once
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ruled an entire country had secrets
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juicier than a village? Gossip circle
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after Sunday service. This is the story
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of Zambia's former president. Not the
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version written in textbooks.
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Nah, this is the version they don't want
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you to hear at state banquetss. The
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untold side. The side where politics
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meets juju, scandal meets strategy and
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power. Well, let's just say power got
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really comfortable. So, buckle up. We're
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counting down 10 facts about Zambia's
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former president that will make you
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raise both eyebrows and maybe even start
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whispering in BMBA. Let's dive into fact
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one. He wasn't supposed to be president.
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Imagine being the backup dancer. And
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then the headliner collapses mid-p
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performance. That's basically how Zambia
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got one of its most unexpected
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presidents. Michael Seda died suddenly
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in 2014. And the man who stepped in,
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Edgar Langwa, relatively unknown figure
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who went from minister of defense to
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faster than a bodabota in Lusaka
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traffic. He was acting president and
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then surprise. He was full president. No
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waiting list, no cooling off. Period.
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Just power raw and ready. But you know
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what they say in the village. When
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someone becomes rich too quickly, check
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who's cooking the stew. Let's look at
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what Lungu started stirring in the pot
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of power. Fact two, he fired people like
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it was a hobby. You know how your auntie
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switches churches every 3 months?
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Because the pastor looked at her
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Well, Edgar Lungu treated top officials
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the same way. One day they were in
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cabinet. Next day gone like a goat that
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wandered into the wrong compound. From
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police chiefs to minister, they blinked
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too loud. They were out. Some called it
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decisive leadership. Others called it
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paranoia in a suit. But power can be a
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lonely game. Lungu didn't just clear the
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field. He wanted to own the pitch. Let's
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talk about how far he was willing to go
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to stay in office. Fact three, he
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changed the constitution. Kind of sort
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of maybe in 2016. Lungu pulled a move
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straight out of the African president
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playbook. If the rules block me, I
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changed the rules. There was major beef
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over whether his second term counted as
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a full term. The man wanted to run
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again, arguing his first run wasn't a
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real term. Kind of like when you say
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that first plate wasn't dinner. It was
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just an appetizer. Court battles, public
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protests, and political drama thicker
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than Enshima followed. The man nearly
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legally unarieved the constitution. Fact
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four, he ran one of Zambia's most
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fearfueled regime's opposition parties
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weren't just disliked. They were hunted.
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Under Lungu, critics vanished faster
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than free meat at a village wedding.
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Arrests became routine. Journalists
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Radio stations got shut down like they
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were cursed if democracy was a song.
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Lungu turned the volume way down and
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told the DJ to leave the building. But
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even the fiercest king can't rule
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forever. And when his time came, karma
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didn't knock, get kicked down the door.
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Fact five, he lost the 2021 election
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hard. Imagine getting ghosted by
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millions of people at the same time.
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That's what happened in 2021 when Edgar
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Lungy Yu lost the presidency to Hakei
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Hitchami HH a landslide. The defeat was
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so epic, even his own strongholds didn't
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show up for him. Lungu claimed the
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election was rigged, but the people,
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they were dancing in the streets like
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they just won a new borehole. But don't
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count him out just yet because like a
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stubborn witch doctor's curse, Lu didn't
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leave quietly. Fact six. He claimed he
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was being persecuted postp presidency
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after leaving office. Lungu started
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saying the government was haunting him
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like a spiritual ex. He accused HH's
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administration of targeting his family,
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freezing his assets, and digging up
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every financial skeleton in his
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backyard. He even came out of retirement
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claiming he was being treated unfairly.
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And maybe, just maybe, he wanted a
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rematch. But don't reach for your
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popcorn yet, because this drama gets
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even deeper. What if I told you this
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political tale turned into a spiritual
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showdown? Fact seven. Rumors of
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witchcraft, prophets, and presidential
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juju. Some Zambians believe politics and
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spiritual warfare. Though hand inhand
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and Lu's time in power was no exception.
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Rumors flew that he consulted prophets,
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that he used charms, that certain
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traditional leaders backed him with
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extra help. Did he really use Guju or
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was that just clever storytelling to
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scare off rivals? Well, in African
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politics, sometimes belief is reality.
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Fact eight. Accusations of massive
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wealth accumulation before presidency.
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Comfortable after presidency. Balen
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Zambians started asking where did all
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this extra money come from? Lend deals,
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flashy homes, bank accounts fatter than
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a Christmas goat. The anti-corruption
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commission even launched several probes.
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Let's just say if wealth were waiting.
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Lungu's wallet went from slim fit to
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XXL. Fact N. The funeral feud that made
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international headlines in July 2025.
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Zambia was shook. Edgar Lungu passed
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away. Or so people thought. Wait, no, he
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didn't. It was a burial dispute. Turns
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out former president died and chaos
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erupted over where to bury him. Family
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wanted one thing, government wanted
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another. The result? Court orders
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blocked burials. And national morning
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turned into a political football match.
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Suddenly, funerals weren't just sacred,
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they were strategic. Fact 10. Some say
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he may return to politics, even in
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death. No joke. Some hardcore supporters
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claim Edgar Lungu's legacy is so strong
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he could still influence Zambia's
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politics. From the grave, statues,
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street names, whispers of a Lungu
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foundation have started to surface like
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a political ghost refusing to be
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forgotten. He may haunt campaigns for
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years. Whether he returns as a memory, a
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movement, or a myth we'll be watching.
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Now that you've had a taste of Zambia's
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most unpredictable leader, which fact
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shocked you the most? Drop your answer
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in the comments below like it's hot
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capenta from the fire. And if you love
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and ring the bell so you never miss a
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story that feels like it was told around
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the village fire. Because here, we don't
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just tell stories, we expose legends.
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Until next time, stay sharp, stay
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curious, and always watch the shadows.
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Some presidents still walk in them.