By Chinoyi Chipulu
Matero member of parliament Miles Sampa has endorsed former president Edgar Lungu as PF presidential candidate for the 2026 general elections.
And PF acting president Given Lubinda said the party’s Plan B is also in the UPND.
Meanwhile, Lubinda has announced the appointment of Sampa as the leader of the opposition in Parliament.
Sampa who had broken away with a faction of the PF said legal wrangles that had dragged PF leadership battles to court would now be withdrawn in the spirit of unity.
He was speaking at a media briefing at the PF secretariat in Lusaka yesterday. He said that PF had now put its house in order and was resolved to fully back the candidature of Lungu in next year’s general elections.
The Sampa and Lungu-led teams, gathered at the PF secretariat where they announced their reconciliation and promised to unite in order to remove the UPND government from power for its failure to govern the country .
“I have been listening to the people down in all the villages in the districts. They sent messages saying that we love you, but iyi nkondo tukwete iyi (this is the war we have and we need a scorer, iwe kuti waba Mbappe). With the mistakes the UPND have made, there is just a penalty that needs to be taken in August 2026 for them to be removed,” Sampa said. “The question is, who will take that penalty? Who will play that number nine for the PF? Now, with no much ado, by my own volition, with the volition of the central committee, we want to put it on record that I, Miles Bwalya Sampa, and for 2026, I am hereby endorsing for presidential candidate, president Edgar Chagwa Lungu.”
Sampa said voting anyhow had cost the people in the country.
He said the UPND forgot why Zambians voted for them and concentrated on persecuting the previous government.
“You see what chivote vote (voting anyhow) has done to us? They have just concentrated on prosecuting PF MPs. This government is full of corruption and as a result, even the street kids are complaining that they used to have money when PF was in power, but the UPND ministers don’t even give us money ” he said.
Sampa said the government were cutting corrupt deals behind closed doors, particularly the sale of Mopani Copper Mines without Parliament’s approval.
And Lubinda said the the reconciliation of PF leadership showed that it was a formidable party that no one could break.
He said the unity in PF was the start of the journey to wrestle power from the UPND.
“After you went to court through your proxies over the eligibility, we told you that we have Plan B. This is part of Plan B and our Plan B is not ending here, and Plan B is also in UPND,” he said.
Sampa said what the opposition did yesterday was also part of Plan B.
“Our Plan B is to make sure that we have a strong member of parliament who is going to be captain of our opposition members of parliament so he can make sure he opposes the amendment and therefore, my dear brothers and sisters I want to announce to you that the self-made in Mbappe is the leader of the opposition in parliament,” he said.
Sampa said the PF would liberate Zambia from the dictatorship of President Hakainde Hichilema in 2026 when they win the general elections.
And PF general secretary Raphael Nakacinda said it was befitting for the country to celebrate labor day because the party had laboured to see that reconciliation.
