A man identifying himself as Patrick Tembo Banda has declared himself the sole authority over the United Party for National Development, halted all internal electoral processes, and issued a fresh appointment to reinforce his claim, escalating a dispute over leadership within the ruling party.
The statement was delivered in a recorded address released on April 4, 2026, in which Banda introduced himself as interim president and positioned his authority as both historical and constitutional. He said his move followed public scrutiny surrounding his earlier declaration and insisted his position remains unchanged.
Banda described himself as the only surviving founding member of the party and claimed authorship of its formation. He said the UPND could not be discussed without reference to his role, asserting that the party was his creation and remains under his authority. He challenged anyone disputing his claim to present themselves as founders, stating none would meet that threshold.
He identified individuals he said formed the original leadership structure, naming Anderson Mazoka as founding president, alongside figures he described as early office bearers including Greyson Ndhlovu, Justin Mweene, and Maxwell Lufungulwa. Banda placed himself within that group, stating the party was anchored on what he termed four pillars and positioning himself as central to that foundation.
Banda said his authority extends to all party activities, declaring that any actions taken outside his approval are invalid. He stated that internal processes currently being circulated, including notices of intra-party elections and a general assembly, were illegal. He directed members to disregard such notices and warned individuals presenting themselves as party leaders to halt their activities pending his authorization.
He framed the directives as binding, stating that instructions issued from the presidency must be treated as authoritative. He added that no general conference or internal election process could proceed without his approval, reinforcing his position that he alone has the mandate to convene such structures.
Banda also addressed backlash linked to his earlier statement, defending its legality and stating it was grounded in the party constitution and his authority as founder. He said he stood by the statement in full and maintained that it did not violate any law, asserting instead that it reflected the law as he interprets it.
The address extended to criticism of actions taken against media institutions that carried his remarks. Banda said journalists had a duty to publish material presented to them and should not be targeted over content disputes. He stated that any legal concerns should be directed at him personally rather than media houses, condemning what he described as intimidation of journalists.
He said the reaction against media platforms was unjustified and called for journalists to be allowed to operate freely. He described them as stakeholders in national development and said they should not face threats in the course of their work.
Banda further disclosed that he had begun forming an interim leadership structure, stating that he had received significant interest from individuals seeking to be part of it. He said he would begin announcing appointments, starting with the position of secretary general.
He named Charles Longwe as interim secretary general, describing the role as central to administrative coordination within the party. The appointment aligns with a separate letter dated April 1, 2026, in which Banda formally assigns Longwe responsibilities including managing party communication, coordinating internal structures, and preparing for electoral processes.
Supporting his claim, Banda has also circulated historical documents, including minutes from a December 7, 1998 executive committee meeting of the UPND. The document records early party leadership structures and outlines resolutions relating to the appointment of Anderson Mazoka as party president, forming part of Banda’s argument that authority flows from the founding framework.
The emergence of both the address and supporting documents introduces competing interpretations of authority within the party, with Banda grounding his claim in historical formation and constitutional positioning while directing present-day operations.
The dispute unfolds as political parties prepare internal structures ahead of the August 13, 2026 general election, where leadership clarity remains central to candidate selection and mobilisation.
Give this guy a brown envelope, he will keep quiet. Until the contents of the envelope and any benefits derived therefrom expire.
Best long term solution is to sit down with him. Has he been an active party member? Does the Registrar of Societies have copies of said minutes? Are there any party members who can verify his narrative? If the narrative is verified, if the minutes are genuine, an amicable resolution can be arrived at.
He looks demented. I wonder who his sponsor is.
So being a founding member confers on you the authority to take over an organisation after twenty eight years?
Zambia has more than its fair share of lunatics.
Every political party generally has internal problem, the ones for UPND seem to have been bottled up and now the bottle cap can not hold any more, when you look at this issue, it looks as if it has been very well thought out and it is not being targeted from one direction, it looks multifaceted and it is not being organized by the two people that have so far come up but by a very organized group, what compounds it is that the party seems to wants to use Trumps force to suppress this group instead of dialogue while the group is using the party constitution and the societies act to back it’s demand, this is not a novice group, they know what they are doing and those who are intelligent in the UPND know what is coming, it won’t stop here, it looks like many within the party are now pushing back against the authoritarian rule of it’s leader, this group has support from within and the objective seems to be the removal of that authority from the party
The gentleman has a mental problem. He may not be sponsored but perhaps needs help. He cannot execute his fantasy of being Interim President of UPND in reality and should be left alone ranting in social media.
I listened carefully to the ” Interim” UPND President, Mr Patrick Tembo Banda. The man is Articulate, Intelligent and presents his Arguments factually and logically.
These are not signs of a demented or a Psycho Case.
The man is in full control of his faculties and knows what he is doing.
If you couple this with what Mr Charles Longwe is saying, you have a coordinated position which is Legally and factually correct.
The Thrust of the Argument is that the Mandate of the Office Bearers of the UPND expired in February, 2026.
The party therefore has no President, Secretary General, NMC and lower party Leadership from the Branch all the way to the Province. This is not wild thinking..These are the rules which the UPND set for itself in the Party Constitution which is even with the Registrar of Societies.
Further when you look at the Legal Precedent, which is now LAW, in the Case of
BRIAN MUNDUBILE and OTHERS V MILES SAMPA, the Honorable Judge Concepta Chinyanwa ruled that in the absence of the Executive Structure such as the Central Committee, President, Secretary General, a member of a Party can go to Mulungushi Conference, organize a Convention, and install himself as President, and this will be LEGITIMATE. This is now LAW in Zambia.
This is the situation the UPND finds itself in.
The ” Interim” President, a TRUSTEE of the UPND, Mr Patrick Tembo Banda saw a Vacuum in leadership of the Party , and is Legally using his responsibility as a TRUSTEE to assume temporal leadership.
Again there are attempts by the UPND to hold a Convention on 15th April, 2026.
Who is going to call for this Convention? And who will form the electoral college?
The Electoral College should be formed by having Elections in all lower Structures.
In the absence of valid party Leadership in lower Structures, there can’t be any legal Electoral College.
As at now the ” Interim” President of the UPND, Mr Patrick Tembo Banda is the only Official in the UPND.
The UPND Leadership with the expired mandate can’t take him to court for impersonation.They don’t have a locus Standi in the matter.
And they can’t report him to the Police for the same reasons.
Their mandate has expired!
And if the ” Interim ” President, Mr Patrick Tembo Banda completes his appointments, and holds a Convention , the UPND will have to deal with this faction as we head into the August Presidential and General Elections.
Indeed two can play that game!
The destiny of Mingalatoons.
I still maintain that the gentleman is a fool probably hired or paid by other parties. Why should he claim to be the interim President of UPND now when he has never done so since 1998? He admits that Anderson Mazoka was the founding President but when Mazoka died in 2006, this guy was nowhere to be seen. A convention was held shortly after Mazoka’s death, HH becoming the new UPND party President defeating Sakwiba Sikota who was the then Vice President of the party. After that convention, a good number of party members left the party and prominent among them were Sakwiba Sikota and Given Lubinda. Sakwiba Sikota formed a new party called ULP, the party he still leads up to now. So when all these things were happening, where was Mr Patrick Tembo Banda? And where has he been all this time? If he claims that the party mandate expired on 13th February, 2026, why has his not expired? Is he the life office bearer or he is just a life fool? Moreover, in 1998 he was just an interim Chair which was not a permanent position at all. What Mr Patrick Tembo Banda doesn’t know is that immediately another party convention is held and new office bearers are elected and take office, those who were in office before them cease to be office bearers immediately except those who bounce back or are retained. There is no party constitution which gives life membership to anyone and to think that you can be an interim president of the party simply because you are the only surviving founder member of the party is self imposed delusion. The gentleman needs to come back to his senses and start talking sense. By the way, calling someone a fool is not an insult, a fool is simply a person who lacks wisdom and this is exactly what Mr Patrick Tembo Banda lacks. If indeed Mr Patrick Tembo Banda is the only surviving founder member, he would have used his wisdom to benefit the party by providing guidance, leadership and direction, but unfortunately that wisdom is not there. Kubaleka fye but takuli eko baleya.
Well articulated Citizen.
Detain him and bring him to trial; he has been employed.