Lungu begged me to join Tonse – Kalaba
CITIZENS First leader Harry Kalaba has shared that former President Edgar Lungu once turned to late FDD leader Edith Nawakwi to help him convince Kalaba into joining the Tonse Alliance some time back.
This came to light after the Citizens First party dumped the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) on Wednesday.
Kalaba, who was being asked whether his leaving UKA had to do with him wanting to join the Tonse Alliance stated that his departure had nothing to do with Lungu’s alliance but had everything to do with the growth of his party.
He said he was not sure if his party would join the Tonse Alliance as the party had been asked to join by Lungu even before they left UKA.
The opposition leader said he could not join Tonse at the time because UKA could not allow him to join another alliance.
However, Kalaba added that following his departure from UKA, now the ball is in his party’s central committee.
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He said the reason the party had to leave UKA was because it wanted to focus on engaging more freely with other opposition political parties and Zambians which would help build the party.
“President Lungu once told president Nawakwi that talk to your brother I really want to work with him. I refused because I was with UKA.”
“And after we left UKA president Sean Tembo came to me to say president Lungu wanted to work with me through Tonse so I told president Sean Tembo to put the request in writing because it is not me to decide but the central committee,” he said.
Kalaba said he wants to focus on building the Citizens First party and be free in dealing with other political parties.
“Nothing should stop us from sitting down with PeP, nothing should stop us from sitting with president and our many other political leaders. This has freed us we now because we can work with all alliances that are existing in this country,” he added.
He added that his party would work with the Tonse Alliance but it remained reluctant on joining the alliance.
“I’m not sure if we will join Tonse. Our reason for coming out of the alliance is because we wanted to reorganise ourselves as a political party. We can still work with Tonse without us really joining them,” he said.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, April 25, 2025
But he couldn’t beg you to stay when you served in his government, but it’s fine for you to deputise him. Unless you are serious and honest, you don’t expect him to leave the chairmanship for you.
HONESTLY SPEAKING, BA KALABA, MWALYONAULA ISHINA LYENU PA MBUTO MWASHA MWABYALA MU FOREIGN SERVICE.
WHEN THE LIST OF FOREIGN SERVICE APPOINTMENTS IN YOUR TIME IS DISPLAYED, ONE CAN EASILY SEE INSIDE YOUR HEART BECAUSE IT IS EVIDENT THAT YOU ARE BIASED.
YOUR CAMP IS ACCUSED OF BEING TRIBALLY INCLINED AND DOES NOT HAVE A ZAMBIAN FACE. LIST YOUR CENTRAL ORGAN MEMBERSHIP TO DISPUTE THESE CLAIMS BY A SECTION OF ZAMBIANS. THIS IS WHAT IS WEAKENING ZAMBIAN POLITICIANS BECAUSE THEY ARE RUNNING AWAY FROM THE ONE ZAMBIA ONE NATION COMMITMENT.
WITH NO PARTICULAR ZAMBIAN ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT AGENDA, EVERY JIM AND JACK WANTS TO REMOVE HH BECAUSE HE IS FROM SOMEWHERE THEY LOOK DOWN UPON.
FOR THAT REASON, TONSE’S COMPOSITION IS A RESURRECTION OF PF AND THEY QUALIFY TO BE DESCRIBED AS WOLVES IN SHEEP SKINS.
LET US GET UNITED AS ZAMBIANS AND SUPPORT HH AS HE HAS SHOWN GOOD WILL TO UNITE THE NATION.THROUGH EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY UNLIKE WHAT ZAMBIANS SAW IN THE PF ERA, A RE- ORGANIZED SET OF CHASE PEACES DISGUISED AS DIFFERENT PLAYERS, YET HEADED FOR REGROUPING.
ZAMBIANS ARE SMARTER NOW AND THEY DO NOT EASILY FORGET.
BY BRINGING BACK ANY REMNANTS OF PF, ZAMBIANS WILL BE GIVING ‘THE CLIQUE’ A SECOND BULLET AFTER THEY MISSED THEIR TARGET IN THEIR TEN(10) YEARS CHAOTIC RULE.
THEY COULD CONVINCE BLINDED ZAMBIANS THAT A THIRD TERM WAS ACTUALLY A SECOND TERM.
THAT A DESOLVED PARLIAMENT COULD STILL HOLD ON TO MINISTERS AND THAT THEY COULD STILL GET ALLOWANCES AND SALARIES – TAX PAYERS’ MONEY.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY SHALL LEAVE NO ENEMIES BEHIND IF, BY MISFORTUNE, THEY ARE GIVEN BACK THE CHANCE TO BE AT THE HELM.
THE CARDERS WILL COME BACK WITH A BANG AND NO ONE WILL GET IN THEIR WAY. THEY ARE JUST LURKING IN THE SHADOWS READY TO AMBUSH THE OPPORTUNITY TO REIGN HAVOC.
THE WARNING IS ON THE WALL.
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Begged? Rather rich a word to use Mr. Kalaba. If you are so important to ECL why did we not learn of your importance?
Sounds a little arrogant. Why didnt he beg you to stay in cabinet?
But ba Kalaba, you make us laugh really.How can you follow ECL who you discarded by resigning from his government with allegations against him and government.To day you can be eager to work with him.What has impressed you badala?Or it is an opportunity cost? You left your brothers Saki and Silavwe as well as sister Saboi without proper notice.TONSE has Sean the deciplinarian and Fred the ambitious one, I hope you will endure the combination of these two giants who are serious Presidential hopefuls.Fred believes he is able to dislodge HH and feels he is the right one.We are watching.
Actually ba Kalaba, it is you who is begging Mr. Lungu and desparately seeking his endorsement, the same strategy Dr. M’membe is using.
All both are interested in is the PF carcass. Mr. Lungu had better tread carefully. He should not delude himself he can put a stooge in State House and run the show from the background like Russia’s Mr. Putin did with his friend, Mr. Medvedev. There is a good lesson to be learned from the Chiluba/Mwanawasa saga.
Most of the small parties realise that they have hitch a ride on Mr. Lungu’s coat tails for them to attract any meaningful attention in the August 2026 elections. I have not forgotten how vividly both described the kleptocracy of Mr. Lungu’s reign. To think they now consider him an ally! Their philosophy seems to be “the end justifies the means”. I mean who would ever have imagined Mr. Sean Tembo would prostrate himself before Mr. Lungu after the thorough beating he received from PF thugs when he tried to organize a protest match against the PF regime?