BRIEFING | Sampa, Chabinga and Chilufya Pull in Different Directions
The crisis inside the Patriotic Front has entered a dramatic new phase after three senior figures issued conflicting positions over who controls the party and whether it will even field a presidential candidate in the August elections.
Miles Sampa announced that PF has withdrawn from the 2026 presidential race, a statement that immediately sent shockwaves across opposition circles given the party’s historical position as Zambia’s largest opposition formation.
But within hours, rival faction leader Robert Chabinga pushed back, insisting he holds the “lugwalo” — the party authority documents — and declaring that no PF candidates would stand without his approval. His remarks effectively challenged Sampa’s authority to make decisions on behalf of the former ruling party.
Adding another layer of confusion, Chitalu Chilufya publicly maintained that he remains in the presidential race on the PF ticket, directly contradicting suggestions that the party has exited the contest.
The conflicting statements expose the depth of PF’s fragmentation just months before voting day. What was once Zambia’s most formidable political machine now appears trapped in overlapping claims of legitimacy, parallel command structures, and unresolved leadership disputes.
The implications are serious.
If the confusion persists into nominations, questions will intensify over which faction the Electoral Commission of Zambia will recognise, who controls adoption authority, and whether PF candidates across the country risk being blocked by internal disputes rather than voters.
For a party that once dominated the country through its strong green bases across the northern corridor, Muchinga, Luapula, and parts of Eastern Province, the current spectacle risks weakening organisational coherence at the precise moment electoral discipline matters most.
The bigger danger for PF may no longer be external pressure.
It may be internal collapse.
© The People’s Brief | Francine Lilu