PF and its chaos!

By Daily Revelation Editor

The Patriotic Front (PF) is not doing itself any service politically and in the eyes of Zambians with its constant bickering.

In this case, we are referring to the PF which is recognised by the majority Zambians as the real PF. The one that is led by acting president Given Lubinda, and not the one recognised by the government at the Registrar of Societies.

But while many may have sympathised with them when the heavy hand of those in government was noticed with their previous fights, the current infighting definitely has nothing to do with those in power. It has everything to do with the chaos the PF has mostly been associated with for a long time.

This infighting has pitted Lubinda against mostly fellow PF presidential contender Brian Mundubile’s backers. The animosity that had mostly been brewing underground from public camera suddenly spilled over to the public when Lubinda removed from the party’s supreme organ, the party’s chairman Emmanuel Mpankata, Lusaka provincial chairperson Christopher Shakafuswa, Melessiana Phiri, Davies Mwila and Brenda Nyirenda among others, and replaced them with people like Celestine Mukandila and Miles Sampa.

The central committee followed up that action by postponing the general conference that was due for November 2025 monthend to a later date which has not even been announced.

From what we have gathered, the main challenge in the party is the role played by Lubinda as acting president. We have been informed that Lubinda had earlier committed himself to act as a ‘midwife’ who would just help in ushering in the PF leader, but his eventual declaration to contest the party presidency has complicated matters. Some are of the view that he should vacate the acting presidency by allowing someone to come in and usher the party into the general conference.

There is also a view from others within the party who view Mundubile as the leading contender, but that he was not too ‘green’ enough to lead them and the former ruling party. They view Mundubile as someone who was new to the party as a former MMD member.

Impeccable PF insiders have further informed us about the motivation behind postponing of the convention, as there was a view that the party had been infiltrated by the ruling UPND, again, after word went round that some members of parliament had actually received K3m each to support the government’s sponsored Bill 7. Some leaders in the party felt that if they had received the money from the government they could as well have received money to destabilise the party. And since majority of the members of parliament had endorsed Mundubile, it followed that some in the leadership looked at his candidature with suspicion.

Even if there is a claim that there have been efforts to mend their differences, that is still not clear as the various factions have continued trading punches in both the traditional and social media platforms. Just the other day, PF chairperson for information and publicity Emmanuel denounced Mwila for what he described as ‘criminal racist’ remarks against Lubinda. While still on that, Lubinda himself in our edition of today has denounced Mwila for his ‘lies’, while describing Mpankata, Shakafuswa and Phiri as cowards for not facing him directly over the correspondence they have alleged caused to be published on social media addressing him.

The earlier they sort out this chaos the better for themselves. And they have no right whatsoever to accuse President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND administration and party over their own self-inflicted wounds.