Zambia's former President Rupiah Banda has pleaded not guilty to a charge of abuse of power during his time in office.

BBC: Zambia's ex-President Rupiah Banda

"I wish to inform the nation that the president had suffered a stroke, " Zambian Vice-President Rupiah Banda said in a statement.

BBC: Zambia president 'suffers stroke'

Recent Zambian elections teetered on a knife-edge when the opposition won there, before President Rupiah Banda gracefully accepted defeat rather than cry foul.

WSJ: The Real Legacy of Nelson Mandela

Opposition leader Michael Sata has won Zambia's presidential election after two days of vote counting following a tight race with incumbent Rupiah Banda.

BBC: Zambia election: Sata wins presidential race

But are we really to think that Rupiah Banda relinquished the presidency in Zambia last month because he was holding out for Mr Ibrahim's pension plan?

BBC: Is Mo Ibrahim's award building or hurting Africa?

"His Excellency... is recovering satisfactorily, " said Vice-President Rupiah Banda.

BBC: Zambia leader undergoes surgery