⛔ BRIEFING | Mwila Challenges Lubinda’s Authority, Orders Withdrawal of Mundubile Letters
Fresh cracks have opened within the Patriotic Front leadership after former secretary general Davies Mwila publicly instructed acting party leader Given Lubinda to withdraw exculpatory letters issued to presidential hopeful Brian Mundubile and other senior members.
The directive follows Lubinda’s decision, announced over the weekend, to charge Mundubile with gross indiscipline for allegedly violating the PF constitution and party regulations by forming campaign structures ahead of the party’s long-awaited general conference. Mundubile and others were given seven days to exculpate themselves or face disciplinary action.
Mwila has rejected that process outright, arguing that Lubinda’s actions are unconstitutional and risk deepening divisions at a critical moment for the former ruling party. In a recorded press briefing, Mwila said the PF constitution does not allow suspensions or disciplinary purges when the party is preparing for a general conference to elect new leadership.
“In PF, when there is a vacancy in the presidency, we go to a general conference, and during that period all suspensions are lifted to allow everyone to participate in the elections,” Mwila said. He insisted that any attempt to discipline or suspend members at this stage undermines party unity and violates established procedure.
Mwila framed the dispute as a choice between unity and self-inflicted fragmentation, accusing unnamed faction leaders of pursuing narrow interests under the guise of enforcing discipline. He said the party’s immediate task should be consolidating ranks, not issuing threats and ultimatums to potential candidates.
The former secretary general also sought to reframe the PF’s political priorities, identifying the ruling United Party for National Development as the party’s principal adversary rather than fellow PF members.
He accused the UPND of presiding over economic hardship and argued that internal conflict only weakens the PF’s capacity to mount a credible challenge ahead of the 2026 elections.
“We only have six months to go before the general elections, and we must come together as one,” Mwila said. He called for the immediate withdrawal of all exculpatory and disciplinary letters and urged members to rally behind whoever emerges as leader from a properly convened general conference.
Mwila’s intervention adds another layer to an already complex power struggle within the PF, where authority is contested, timelines have repeatedly slipped, and rival camps accuse each other of acting outside the constitution.
While Lubinda’s faction has defended its actions as necessary to preserve order, Mwila’s position underlines growing resistance to disciplinary measures seen as selective or politically motivated.
© The People’s Brief | McCarthy Lumba