Lungu should manage PF transition not Lubinda, says Kafwaya
By Kombe Mataka
PF presidential hopeful Mutotwe Kafwaya says it is Edgar Lungu’s responsibility to manage the transition and not handpicked acting party leader Given Lubinda.
He argues that former president Lungu has the substantive mandate to manage things until either “PF elects another substantive president or his mandate comes to an end in 2025”.
“We know that most people are worried about what they perceive as a leadership crisis in PF. The truth is, there is no such a crisis. Former republican president Edgar Lungu is also the elected president of PF. He still has the mandate from the Patriotic Front members. As such, thinking that there is a leadership crisis is a misplaced idea,” Kafwaya said in a statement. “After losing the power to govern the nation to UPND, president Lungu decided to appoint Hon Given Lubinda as the acting president of the PF. This was so as to ensure that ECL stayed clear of active politics. As things stand, many people including myself are jostling to replace president Lungu as PF president. In the process, some people think we are in a crisis, which is certainly a fallacy.”
He opined that it is Lungu’s “responsibility to manage the transition and not Hon Given Lubinda”.
“This is because, while president Lungu appointed Hon Given Lubinda, we as PF elected him. Therefore, he has the substantive mandate to manage things until either (1) PF elects another substantive president or (2) his mandate comes to an end in 2025,” Kafwaya suggested. “Emmanuel Mwamba, Mutotwe Kafwaya, Chishimba Kambwili, Brian Mundubile, Christopher Kang’ombe, Bowman Lusambo and all other presidential hopefuls and their respective supporters should continue encouraging the general membership that we do not have a leadership crisis. We have both a substantive president and an acting president. We wish our party well.”
Reminded that the party did not hold an elective conference last year, he said the congress was conducted in line with the constitution.
“We had a convention in 2021 in line with the constitution where members were elected. The president was also elected. So those members and the president was also elected. So those members (of central committee) and the president, we have mandate up to 2025. So the reason we have to go to the convention as PF is just to elect a president that is all and for the fact that president Lungu has taken a back sit. Now that does not mean we have no president. He was elected by us just last year,” explained Kafwaya. “So he is still the president until we elect a new one or until his mandate finishes in 2025 and in that perspective, those of my colleagues who are thinking we have a leadership crisis must cease to think in that fashion. The election we held to elect the president and members of the central committee was in line with the constitution. The criticisms which followed were just political. It is not a lot of positions that have people in an acting capacity. It is only two positions which is that of the president and acting secretary general. I think the wisdom of president was that whoever is president appoints their own secretary general.”