⬆️ BUILD-UP | LUBINDA DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM UNITED FRONT ELECTION PLANS, CALLS FOR HEALING WITHIN OPPOSITION
Patriotic Front faction leader Given Lubinda has denied knowledge of plans to select a joint opposition presidential candidate under the United Front within two weeks, saying he has not attended recent meetings and remains focused on internal party recovery following the death of former president Edgar Lungu.
The statement comes after Socialist Party president Dr. Fred M’membe announced that the United Front, a coalition bringing together the Socialist Party, the Patriotic Front, Tonse Alliance, UNIP, UKA, and other partners, would unveil its presidential candidate before the end of October.
In an interview, Lubinda said he was unaware of any such decision. “I’m afraid to say that I did not attend the last few meetings of the United Front, so I’m not aware of that decision,” he told journalists.
The PF acting president also dismissed questions linking South Africa-based businessman Willah Mudolo to a potential PF leadership bid. “I don’t know Mudolo. I have not spoken to him, he has not spoken to me, and it is not to me that he would register his interests,” he said.
Appearing earlier on Millennium Radio, Lubinda clarified that the party was not seeking permission from the Lungu family on succession matters but merely wanted to keep them informed out of respect.
“We are going to inform them that this is our plan. We are not going to consult as though we are seeking permission. The former first family remains part of the Patriotic Front’s history and must be informed of our course of action,” he said.
Lubinda acknowledged that the party remains shaken by two major events, the October 2023 takeover of the PF by rival factions, which he described as a “bloodless coup,” and the death of former President Lungu, which he said left the PF emotionally and structurally weakened. “We are not yet out of the woods. Those two calamities left deep scars, and the party has not fully recovered,” he said.
He noted that the PF remains in a prolonged mourning period as Lungu’s burial dispute continues to play out in South Africa.
“A funeral only ends when you bury. Before you bury, you are still in mourning,” Lubinda said, adding that party unity remains difficult while the late leader’s body is yet to be interred.
On broader opposition cooperation, Lubinda reaffirmed the need for solidarity ahead of the 2026 general election but warned that alliances take time to mature.
“The idea is that as we approach 2026, we must work in solidarity. It takes a lot of work for people to work together. We are different parties with different ideas and policies, but we must reduce our differences and grow our commonalities.”
He compared the process of uniting the opposition to courtship. “You do not just wake up and say, ‘we are together.’ Even in marriage, you start with courtship. That is when you learn each other’s weaknesses before you say, ‘now we can live together.’ These skirmishes we see are part of that process,” he said.
Lubinda said all opposition parties he has engaged with see value in unity but differ on methods and pace. “I have not heard any party say they are unwilling to unite. The difference lies in approach. Citizens must not expect it to happen overnight. What matters is that we all agree Zambia is better with a united opposition,” he said.
The comments come amid growing tension in the opposition bloc. The Tonse Alliance has splintered into rival camps led by Lubinda and Sean Tembo, while the United Front has struggled to define its leadership structure after Lungu’s death left a political vacuum.
Lubinda’s latest remarks suggest a cautious approach, prioritising internal party healing over quick political arrangements. Yet his emphasis on unity and dialogue indicates that despite the turbulence, efforts toward a consolidated opposition front continue behind the scenes.
As the 2026 election approaches, the question of who will lead the opposition coalition remains unanswered, but Lubinda’s tone reflects a broader truth in Zambian politics: alliances are easy to announce, but hard to sustain.
© The People’s Brief | Build-Up
Bo Lubinda, why are you trying to use your position of acting PF President and play the tribal card to impose yourself as PF presidential candidate without elections? Yet you are not even among PF presidential candidates who paid a nomination fee of K200,000. But you want to tell the whole world that if you do not become the PF flagbearer in the 2026 elections it will be because you are being discriminated against for being Lozi. Why did you not pay the nomination fee for the PF presidency to start with?