Police meddling in NDC wrangles witch-hunt, harassment – Saboi
By Charles Musonda
NATIONAL Democratic Congress (NDC) president Saboi Imboela says it is shocking that the Zambia Police Service is now meddling in internal party politics.
In an interview with The Mast, Imboela described police action to warn and caution her over internal NDC matters as a witch-hunt and political persecution.
On Monday, police warned and cautioned Imboela for allegedly creating a document without authority, contrary to Section 356 of the Penal Code, Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
It is alleged that Imboela, 47, and Mambwe Zimba , 43, provided false information to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) by signing an adoption certificate for James Phiri during the December 2025 Chawama Parliamentary by-election on behalf of the NDC. This is contrary to Section 18(1) (b) and (2) of the Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016.
“The police notified the public about my pending arrest after they recorded a warn and caution statement from myself and my secretary general Mambwe Zimba, in respect of the adoption certificate that was issued to our candidate during the by-elections in Chawama in January,” she said.
She wondered why the Zambia Police Service was involved into intra-party leadership wrangles.
Imboela said the complaint in the matter Steven Chewe was not a member of the NDC as he had left the party.
“In fact, Zambia Police actions appear to usurp powers of the Registrar of Societies and the courts of law in determining intra-party disputes,” Imboela said.
She said Chewe left the NDC and joined another party where he became secretary general.
“He [Chewe] left and joined the Socialist Party where he stood as Member of Parliament for Chimwemwe in 2021 general elections. So we do not even know when he came back to NDC, who re-admitted him to the party and why the police only listened to his side of the story and not ours,” she said.
She maintained that the party’s leadership was legitimate, citing a convention held in Kitwe where former leader Chishimba Kambwili was elected president.
Imboela said she later assumed the presidency following Kambwili’s resignation.
“There is currently no challenge to the convention that was held in 2021. The plaintiffs, in the matter which was in court, realized that the challenge was unjustified, hence abandoned it. So currently, the legitimate office bearers of NDC is me Ms Saboi Imboela and my executive,” she said.
Imboela said it was wrong and political harassment by the police to insinuate that there was forgery or that documents submitted to ECZ were a forgery when they were issued by the party leadership.
“We consider it as an act of intimidation and disregard to the autonomy of political parties. There is so much interference by the government to the detriment of democracy,” she said.
