WITH only a handful of polling stations left to count, United Party for National Development (UPND) candidate Lufeyo Ngoma is cruising towards victory in the Lumezi Parliamentary by-election.
From the 85 out of 88 polling stations counted so far, Ngoma has bagged a whopping 11,144 votes, leaving his closest challenger, Goodson Banda of the National Congress Party (NCP), trailing with 6,520 votes.
The rest of the pack can only watch from afar, with Isaiah Banda of UPPZ managing 533 votes, Wiseman Mvula of the Citizen First (CF) collecting 548, independent candidate Pilila Mwanza sitting at 508, and Nebby Manda of the Leadership Movement struggling with 212.
Ngoma’s lead has become the talk of Eastern Province, with many already warming up to address him as “Honourable” even before the Electoral Commission of Zambia officially announces the winner.
This by-election follows the dramatic removal of former Lumezi MP Munir Zulu, who entered the National Assembly in 2021 as an independent and later found himself on the wrong side of the law after being convicted on three counts of libel.
This legal knockout sent him tumbling out of Parliament and opened the gate for this tightly watched contest.
As the Electoral Commission of Zambia prepares to announce final results, the mood in UPND circles is already celebratory, with party faithfuls sharpening their vuvuzelas and dusting off their campaign regalia.
Meanwhile, the rest of the candidates are likely bracing for what looks set to be a humbling finish in a race that now has only one front-runner in clear sight, Lufeyo Ngoma.
In the local government by-elections, the ruling UPND has scooped the Tuuwa ward in Sikongo District and Fibala ward in Milenge District.
By George Musonda
Kalemba June 27, 2025
