I offered the NCP presidency to Edgar Lungu only and not anyone in tonse alliance-  Peter Chanda

The Predicaments of Joining Tonse Alliance With ECL as Constitutional Chairman & 2026 Presidential Candidate Versus the New Temptations of Challenging PF leaders at the 2025 General Congress: The Case of Rev. Peter Chanda and other Tonse members

Before and after we formed Tonse Alliance, Rev. Peter Chanda repeatedly reached out to our late father, hero, former president and chairman, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu to voluntarily offer him NCP as an alternative party after PF was “taken over by hostile forces”. As his political advisor, I was engaged by boss alongside my close friend, a lawyer to thoroughly vet and scrutinize NCP.

Finally, I technically approved NCP to ECL since it was small, unknown and more easy and effective for PF to “take over” at the appropriate time among few other known parties that had covertly offered themselves to the former president going into 2026.

When we formed Tonse Alliance, NCP strategically joined so early and settled very fast. Yes, Rev. Chanda is an intelligent folk and subtle person. In December, 2024, Tonse Alliance needed to participate in the KAWAMBWA parliamentary by election & the matter of SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLE (SPV) became crucial & urgent. PF Central Committee met & picked FDD as their priority ticket. When Tonse Alliance received the PF report, the Council of Leaders rejected FDD because it was still a member of UKA and not in the alliance.

The Council of Leaders resolved to only approve a SPV among parties in Tonse Alliance. This became a hot issue in the council. As secretariate, we technically recommended NCP among many others in the alliance and fortunately, it was approved including being supported by Vice Chairman, Prof. Danny Pule, PeP president, Mr. Sean Tembo and PF Vice President then, Hon. Given Lubinda. Rev. Peter Chanda was given full conditions to fulfill as a SPV and he agreed as NCP leader before everyone. Again, me and the lawyer, a close friend were tasked by our late father and chairman to closely work with Rev. Chanda to begin the process of making NCP a truly acceptable SPV for Tonse Alliance. This included changing the party symbol from “ancient satellites  to the CHAIR you see today.

On two or three occasions when he visited me home and were strategizing on this crucial issue of NCP and Tonse Alliance, Rev. Chanda raised some important issues. He wanted to know what happens to him since ECL was blocked from contesting if the chairman picked a successor (Plan B ) and his party executive does not approve him or her to contest on NCP but instead they approve him (Rev. Chanda) as their leader to contest on their party ticket. It’s a matter he raised with me many times. My answer was always casual as I rubbished his concerns to be both illegitimate, ultravious and extravagant. I was sure he was merely postulating and forcing dead waters from a rock. I innocently didn’t see a Moses in him!

Unfortunately, our father and constitutional chairman died on 5th June, 2025 in SA. Rev. Chanda raised his concerns again in August, 2025 concerning the Tonse Alliance 2026 presidential candidacy following the death of ECL. Last month, he went further to indicate that his executive believes that they offered the NCP presidency to ECL only and not anyone. I reminded him of the December, 2024 conditions that were attached to him when the Council of Leaders approved NCP to be our SPV. He agreed but with many but, but, but, but, etc. At this stage, I started understanding his new political situation, predicament and taking him seriously.

In my routine discussions with many other Tonse Alliance Leaders outside PF recently, I discovered that many have changed and no longer agree with the constitutional position that the 2026 presidential candidate must automatically and only come from the ECL PF Movement. They seem to agree with some NCP leaders who are troubling Rev. Peter Chanda in considering to participate and compete with PF leaders at the General Congress this year given that the legal flag bearer in ECL is no more.

When you ask me as Tonse National Coordinator and Lead Consultant who received and vetted these leaders when joining the alliance, their new position is solidly valid and empirically sound. All these old members joined Tonse Alliance knowing fully that their alliance Chairman and 2026 Presidential Candidate was Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu and not anyone else from the ECL PF Movement. Their new predicaments and concerns are nakedly factual because we forcefully and effectively used ECL as Former President in his personal capacity to engage , attract and convince them in joining Tonse Alliance.

Article 11. (I) and (II) of Tonse Alliance categorically says:

(I) Given that it is resolved and agreed that , The 2026 presidential candidate shall come from the “ECL Patriotic Front (PF) Political Movement”, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu shall immediately assume the position of Chairperson of the Alliance as well as candidate after accepting his candidacy adoption at the official launch of the alliance to the exclusion of the General Congress since Tonse is a moving electoral pact.

II. The General Congress shall merely ceremoniously affirm The 2026 presidential candidate, Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu since the actual adoption would have already been done at the official launch of Tonse.

When we say that we need the Tonse Alliance General Congress either in November or early December, 2025, these are complex issues we need to collectively discuss, amicably resolve and quickly cure as a family soonest besides electing our new chairman and 2026 presidential. We urgently need the alliance chairman and candidate with compelling popular legitimacy and democratic approval from Tonse members via the General Congress. If and once the General Congress approves amendments to article 11. (I) and (II), then “all leaders who are members of Tonse Alliance” shall be free to contest the Chairmanship and 2026 Presidential Candidacy alongside those from the “ECL PF Movement”.

Technically, this amendment maybe necessary in order to open up the alliance to many credible members and candidates. This equally may cure and resolve many critical questions Rev. Peter Chanda’s executive members and other Tonse Alliance members are raising. The standard fact remains that “Tonse is ECL and ECL is Tonse”. This is the correct background and understanding when everyone was joining Tonse Alliance. But now that our beloved ECL is gone, we need to be objective, fair and honest with everyone in the alliance than treat others like “rebels” or “secondary members” because they are critical and vital stakeholders.

Moreover, the ECL PF Movement has zero reason to fear or object amending article 11. (I) and (II) because they enjoy a majoritarian status in all decision making bodies of Tonse Alliance including the General Congress itself. The recent published list of the “Expanded Council of Leaders” that was approved by ECL in May, 2025 clearly shows this preposition and reality.

The untimely demise of our constitutional chairman and 2026 presidential candidate now presents both complications, challenges as well as political new curves and opportunities in Tonse Alliance. We just need to be more sober, wise, subtle, pragmatic, thoughtful and balanced to navigate this sharp curve and take off collectively. Hence, the Tonse Alliance General Congress is timely and urgent for everyone. #WeLoveLunguForever ✅欄

By Chris Zumani Zimba