Dr Nevers Mumba, President of the New Nation Party and a former Republican Vice President, has stepped aside from active partisan politics with immediate effect, handing interim leadership of the party to Vice President Reuben Sambo.
Key takeaways
- Dr Nevers Mumba has stepped aside from active politics with immediate effect, standing down as President of the New Nation Party (NNP), the party he rebranded from the MMD in November 2025.
- Vice President Reuben Sambo becomes Acting NNP President until the party holds its next convention.
- Mumba, Zambia’s Vice President from 2003 to 2004, says the move is a shift to an advisory role as a former Vice President and statesman, not a retirement.
- He has withdrawn from the UPND Alliance Council of Presidents, saying he briefed President Hakainde Hichilema before the announcement.
- He described the exit as made without bitterness, citing gratitude for the capacities in which he has served government.
Announcing the decision at a press briefing, Mumba said it followed thorough consultations and what he described as a calling to serve the country in a different capacity. He was explicit that the move does not amount to permanent retirement from public service.
A redefinition, not a retirement
Mumba said he intends to serve as a former Vice President and statesman, offering counsel and guidance drawn from scripture, diplomacy and political experience. He said he had engaged President Hakainde Hichilema ahead of the announcement, and that the President wished him well in this new role.
Sambo steps in as Acting President
Reuben Sambo, the party’s Vice President, takes over the NNP’s day-to-day leadership on an acting basis. The party’s constitution points to a convention as the mechanism for electing a substantive successor, though Mumba did not give a date for when that gathering will be held.
Exit from the UPND Alliance Council of Presidents
Mumba has also withdrawn from the UPND Alliance Council of Presidents, the forum of allied party leaders that has backed Hichilema through the 2026 election cycle. He wished the Council’s members well and continued success, and said the withdrawal, like the broader decision, carries no bitterness. He described his exit as one made with gratitude for the capacities in which he has served government.
From MMD to New Nation Party
Mumba has led the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy since 2012 and rebranded it as the New Nation Party in November 2025. He served as Zambia’s Vice President under President Levy Mwanawasa between 2003 and 2004, and campaigned for Hichilema’s re-election in 2026 as part of the UPND Alliance.
What it means for the UPND Alliance
Mumba’s exit removes one of the more experienced figures from the UPND Alliance’s leadership table at a point when managing coalition partners matters most, in the months after a general election. How the New Nation Party is led going forward, and whether it remains inside the Alliance under Sambo, will say more about the coalition’s durability than Mumba’s own departure does on its own.
Related reading: Hichilema Swears In Four Ministers: Haimbe Returns at Foreign Affairs, Musokotwane Retained at Finance and Hichilema Nominates Five MPs, Including Ex-Foreign Minister Haimbe.
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