Matero Court Ruling Exposes the False Claim to PF Ownership and Sends a Warning to the Ruling Party
By Michael Zephaniah Phiri Political Activist
The Constitutional Court’s decision to dismiss the petition seeking to declare the Matero parliamentary seat vacant and to order that each party bears its own costs has delivered a decisive political message that extends far beyond the courtroom. It has exposed the hollow claims of authority by Mr. Robert Chabinga and Mr. Morgan Ngona and reaffirmed a fundamental truth: the Patriotic Front (PF) cannot be hijacked through litigation, manipulation, or political engineering.
This ruling is a clear rejection of the narrative that the PF belongs to a small group of individuals propped up by external interests. Had Mr. Chabinga and Mr. Ngona genuinely commanded legitimate control over the party, the courts would have reflected that reality. Instead, the judgment underscores what PF members and supporters have consistently asserted that party legitimacy is derived from the people, not from repeated trips to court.
*Faith, Gratitude, and the Voice of the People*
Following the ruling, Hon. Miles Mbempe Sampa expressed heartfelt gratitude to PF members across the country and to senior party leadership who stood firm throughout more than a year of sustained legal pressure. He specifically thanked PF President Hon. Given Lubinda, National Chairperson Hon. Jean Katapa, and senior party leader Hon. Chishimba Kambwili for their steadfast support and leadership during a period marked by deliberate attempts to destabilize the party.
Hon. Sampa also thanked God for making it possible for him to remain the duly elected Member of Parliament for Matero, stating that the court’s decision reflects not only legal correctness but also the will of the people of Matero, who have consistently rejected imposed leadership and political interference.
PF President Hon. Given Lubinda echoed these sentiments, thanking God and describing the ruling as historic. He noted that, despite being a minority judgment, it marked the first time the Constitutional Court had issued such a ruling in circumstances so deeply tied to internal party democracy and voter sovereignty.
“This ruling is historic,” President Lubinda stated, “because it confirms that the courts cannot be used to override the will of the people.”
*Matero: The Grassroots Reality the Ruling Party Fears*
Matero remains politically significant precisely because Hon. Miles Sampa commands genuine grassroots support. His influence is not manufactured through press statements or court filings; it is built through consistent engagement with the people on the ground. This is the reality that has unsettled both the ruling UPND government and its political proxies within PF disputes.
The persistent legal attacks on Hon. Sampa and the PF reveal a strategy aimed not at justice, but at political attrition an attempt to exhaust the opposition through the courts after failing to defeat it politically.
*Exposing the Chabinga–Ngona Agenda*
If Mr. Chabinga and Mr. Ngona were sincere and principled actors within the Patriotic Front, they would have withdrawn all court cases affecting the party and allowed internal democratic processes to function. Instead, their continued reliance on litigation has only exposed an agenda disconnected from the party’s membership and grassroots base.
Their strategy has failed. The court’s decision has stripped away the illusion of legitimacy and confirmed that the true and genuine PF leadership is that which enjoys the confidence of its members and reflects the values and vision of the party’s founding principles.
*A Direct Warning to the Ruling Party*
President Given Lubinda further stated firmly and without ambiguity that dragging the Patriotic Front through endless court battles will not weaken its membership or erode its support. He emphasized that PF supporters remain resolute and unmoved by legal harassment.
He pointed out that Hon. Miles Sampa has been subjected to court proceedings for over one year, yet despite these prolonged attempts to frustrate his mandate, the court has now spoken in line with the will of the people of Matero. According to President Lubinda, this outcome exposes the futility of using legal processes to overturn democratic choices.
President Lubinda issued a stern warning to the ruling UPND government: keeping the PF permanently in court is a dangerous and self-defeating political strategy. Citizens did not vote for the UPND to dismantle the opposition or silence alternative voices. They voted for leadership, governance, and national development.
“Using state power and court processes to fight the opposition will only deepen public mistrust,” President Lubinda stated. “The ruling party is already losing credibility because it has betrayed the mandate given to it by the people who voted for change, not for the destruction of the Patriotic Front.”
In conclusion, the dismissal of the Matero petition is more than a legal outcome; it is a political reckoning. It confirms that the Patriotic Front cannot be captured through the courts, nor can its leadership be imposed by convenience or coercion.
The PF remains a mass-based, people-driven movement whose legitimacy lies with its members and supporters across the country. Those who continue to ignore this reality do so at their own political peril.
Those who have eyes can see clearly: the courts have spoken, the people have spoken, and history is recording who stands on the side of democracy and who does not.