By Mubanga Mubanga
Former special assistant for political affairs to former president Edgar Lungu, Chris Zumani Zimba, says it is malicious for Chishimba Kambwili to blame Lungu for the current problems of the PF.
Last week, Kambwili attributed some of the difficulties that the PF is going through to Lungu, saying the former president should have stepped aside by allowing the party to choose his successor after PF lost power, but the leadership dilly-dallied.
But in an interview with Daily Revelation over the weekend, Zumani said it was unfair to attribute the failure of the PF to hold the convention to Lungu.
He added that PF acting president Given Lubinda failed to organise the convention between August 2021 to October 2023 when Lungu was no longer active in politics.
“So, when ECL stepped aside in August 2021, the person who was acting and organising the convention was honorable Lubinda as acting PF president, between 2021 to 2023 in October when ECL came back. I think it is unfair to attribute the failure by the Given Lubinda led PF to convene the national convention between 2021 and 2023 October, when Miles Sampa threw up that illegal convention or political coup on honorable Given Lubinda,” Zumani said. “ECL was in retirement politically between August 2021 and October 2023. He was in political retirement. So, they are being very unfair and they are being malicious to accuse ECL in death as to the reason why PF failed to have a PF convention or national convention.”
Zumani asked Kambwili why eight months after the death of Lungu, the party had failed to hold the convention, if at all it was Lungu who was the hindrance.
”Since ECL is not around and ECL is no more, eight months from the time he died, why have they failed to make progress? Since ECL is no longer a hindrance, since he’s no longer an obstacle? Since ECL is in death, why have they failed to have a convention? Or if not a conclave, why have they failed to finalise leaders by choosing what they call a conclave?” Zumani asked. “You remember very well that they said that they had constituted a conclave, a committee of presidential aspirants within PF, and said choose one of their own. ECL is dead, why have they failed to choose using that conclave? ECL is no longer alive, ECL is no longer.”
Zumani said it was about time some people let Lungu rest in peace because he had already endured enough embarrassment and humiliation when he was alive from the very people who were trying to blame him for the PF problems.
“Let them be honest, let them be fair to ECL, allow ECL to rest. He had enough in terms of political persecution when he was around. We had enough in terms of political embarrassment when he was alive. Enough in terms of political humiliation, the same PF members when he was around,” Zumani said. “ECL was politically insulted and undressed, and indeed embarrassed, right and centre, by the same PF members who are alive today. My appeal to them is, let the spirit of ECL rest in peace.”
Zumani said the PF had lamentably failed to elect a new leader, as the party had no political solution to its current problems.
He stressed that the blame on the problems the party was facing was on Miles Sampa and faction leader Robert Chabinga.
“We can’t be attributing failure today within PF and the wrangles within PF. The person they should be blaming is Miles Sampa and Chabinga. Did you ask him about Miles Sampa and Chabinga the role they played?” said Zumani. “Is it ECL who said no Sampa and Chabinga to take PF to UPND? So the people they are supposed to be blaming are still alive today. They should not be blaming the late president, former president. It is being unfair to him.”
